New Nissan Ads Seek to Sell More Than to Amuse

Nissan North America has launched a batch of television commercials that spotlight such conventional fare as roomy interiors and alloy wheels--a move welcomed by dealers who grumbled that the company’s splashy brand advertising didn’t sell cars.

“It is the element that is missing,” said Brian Smith, a Columbia, S.C., dealer who recently previewed the ads at a gathering of 150 Southeast Nissan dealers in Florida. “It gives the consumers the sales information needed to motivate them to go ahead and buy something.”

Nissan’s brand advertising, with commercials showing animated pigeons and barking dogs, was one of the most talked about campaigns of 1996. A spot featuring stop-motion Barbie and Ken look-alikes won a local advertising award.

But dealers said that though the advertising amused consumers, it did not inspire them to buy cars. Nissan sales were down in 1996 and have risen this year in part because of financial incentives.

The ads simulate an Internet site and feature various Nissan vehicles as a narrator welcomes viewers to the “Nissan Store.” Mr. K., the elderly Japanese character from the brand spots, makes a cameo appearance at the end of the commercials.

Nissan President Bob Thomas had previously said that Nissan intended to keep the character out of the new spots. But the company said that in focus group tests, consumers wondered why he was missing. “Consumers told us they wanted to see him,” said Monte Zator, account director for Nissan regional advertising at TBWA Chiat/Day, Venice.

The new spots, which have started to air around the country, introduce the concept of the “Nissan Store,” intended to convey that dealerships are about more than selling cars, that they can also offer the service of retail stores.