Nissan: Epic Test DriveCar commercials were stuck on explosions and big sets. We found the epic in an ordinary day.
My Role
Associate art director: concepting, creative direction on the spot,
banners, text overlay, color grading
Team
Concepting partner & Copywriter: Jasmine Chin.
Large TBWA team.
Credits
Group Creative Director: Basil Cowieson
Senior Art Director: Reid Masimore
Senior Copywriter: Brooke Wong
Associate Copywriter: Jasmine Chin
Associate Art Director: Destiny Washington
Client
Nissan, through TBWA\Chiat\Day New York
Dates
4–6 months of work, SSE 2024
Type of Project
Agency work (TBWA\Chiat\Day New York)
The brief
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Nissan felt car commercials were cliché and stuck in the past: action movies, big sets.
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With my copy partner, concepted the ideas the team pitched, then helped shape the 30-second spot.
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A 30-second spot for English and Spanish markets in the U.S. and Mexico.
“epic-ness can come from the ordinary.”
Challenge
Nissan wanted its advertising to feel epic and compelling, but felt the car commercial industry was cliché and stuck in the past: action movies, big sets, big stunts. This spot was for North American markets, so it also had to work for English- and Spanish-speaking audiences in the U.S. and Mexico.
Insight
Epic doesn't need a bigger set. The ordinary day is already epic when you treat it that way, and that makes it more relatable to the people actually buying the car.
Idea & System
My copy partner, Jasmine Chin, and I did the concepting. We generated ideas and pitched them to our associate creative director and the copy ACD, who chose the strongest. We landed on epic storytelling between friends. Then I helped make the creative calls inside the 30 seconds, with my team: wardrobe, casting, music and sound effects. I also did the text overlay, helped with color grading, and made banners for the campaign.
RESULTS
Second spots.
thirty
1
Months of work.
four
2
Editions in Spanish and English.