Nissan advertising campaign adds fuel to fire

By Brett Davis | July 23rd, 2010

After Nissan’s recent efforts to sabotage Porsche at the 2010 Goodwood Festival of Speed with giant posters – showing Nissan marking its win-counts over German rivals on the Nurburgring – Porsche became quite annoyed and threatened to sue Nissan.

How did Nissan put out the fire? By throwing more fuel into it.

Check out these funny and somewhat cocky marketing techniques. The German sports cars were paraded around central London for everyone to see.

Although there is no real harm done, we’re sure Porsche will come up with an excuse to threaten Nissan on accounts of using the competition as props in advertising or something. We’re pretty sure we’ll hear about it soon enough anyway, and we’ll let you know.

Bezza

While I acknowledge the clever cheekiness of this campaign it feels a bit grubby to me.

Taking pot-shots at a marque like Porche doesn’t make me like Nissan. But I assume that it appeals to the type of people who do buy 350/370z.

andronicus

I agree. I had a good laugh and liked what they did at Goodwood but I dont like this. This just seems to be trying to get a reaction now and it doesnt feel like it is in the best interests of the brand.

Clever, cheeky advertising will always work. This sort of thing isnt clever or cheeky, its poor form.
Kirium

In terms of volume of each that I’ve seen on the road in the last few months, my tally would be Audi TT first, daylight second with the Cayman probably edging the 370Z.

To paraphrase Jeremy Clarkson, when you buy a Nissan, you end up with a Nissan. When you buy a Porsche or an Audi, you don’t.

Damian

According to Clarkson, you’re a “toss” if you buy an Audi, which are mostly, glorified Volkswagens.

j

and volkswagens are more expensive skodas.

Denzo

And really cheap Lambo’s?? Sheesh guys come on..

MORECARS

Just like mini taking shots at them, its kinda getting a bit old.

ox

Nissan, grow up
it’s not funny, it’s lame

Shak

It may not be funny, but it is getting everyones attention including Porsche. Audi is being Calm and collected about it, but Porsche is fuming.

Mythfrances

This just goes to show how Audi is way more confident in their products and quality than Porche. If Porche would stay calm and keep producing better results than Nissan, they would earn my ultimate respect.

Producing this kind of ads is childish, but by reacting so big to it is stupid.

t39

Mythfrances, do you realise that Audi and Porsche are woned by the same parent comapny, VW? It was probably VW board who made the decision to retaliate from the Porsche side and not from the Audi side.

Mythfrances

Thanks for your information, but its no news for me. Doesnt matter if its VW’s decision to retaliate from Porche’s side. It is still stupid to react so big to it. Its like a grown up getting all angry and pissed off because a 5 year old kid plays a joke on him and he is going to smack the kid. Is it worth it? ppl will only think “oh, Nissan must be so good now that Porche can not take it as a joke anymore”!
JooberGTi

Could be right, no such thing as emotional reaction from big companies like Porche / VW, people need to stop thinking a company is like a person.., its a thought through tactic to comeback angry which has its marketing / positioning reasons.

Technofreak

Nissan make boring ugly cars.

SSS

That what you think

Jumbo

Is being dirty like this really going to win customers for Nissan?
Yes they make some good cars but there is no real need to attack other brands this harshly.

Hung Low

It probably will win customers because it shows confidence in their product!
Also Porsche/Audi customers usually do not cross shop with Nissan anyway!

HJP

Carlos Ghosn need to fire the advertising team. Nissan thinks they are better than German car giants…I think not!
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1285962287 Declan Collins

Porsce needs to retaliate with their own set of ads, similar to the competition of ads run between an Audi and a BMW dealer in South Africa I think.
go away

if i was porsche/audi id run an ad that shows pedigree.

have a lineup of all the porsche/audi cars,
then show a lineup of all the nissan cars.

a simple ad like that will appeal directly to porshce/audi ‘s target market. cause generally if your someone who buys a porsche/audi you are going to scoff at a brand that makes a Tiida!! most people buying a porsche/audi are buying it for the brand first, then they choose which model they like.

philthy

Just make sure you hide the V6 cayenne and the base model A3…

Jim

370z is probably faster than most Bentleys, Yachts & taxiing Gulf Stream Jets. Only 370z owners will care.

Perhaps Nissan are aiming to be the Tiger Airways of the sports car market. Discount! Discount! Discount!
ABMPSV

On the racing circuit. Porsche 1 Nissan big Zero.
Gan Tan

Funny, and true. Good work Nissan!
Roger Ramjet

“porsche/audi are buying it for the brand first, then they choose which model they like”

Thats right, the would even buy the Tiida if it had a Porsche or Audi badge! Sad aint it!
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1435885244 Yani Hendriawan

haha i think it’s funny, but it still doesn’t make me want to buy a nissan
Shane

Nissan has the equivalent of the small mans complex
George

Won’t buy Nissan unless it’s a Silvia
SS

I think it’s brilliant, finally someone puts a good fight to the Germans.
a good quality sexy looking sports car.

We all will benifit from it in the end,
you have to remember that the first Porsche was based on the VW Beetle which isn’t excatly an impressive luxury sports car.

all the german loving fools who would spend houndrand of thousand just to be seen in one are sad.

I’d preffer a Cirrus Sr22 (it’s an aircraft by the way) in stead of “donating” $360K for one of the ugliest cars on road the Porsche Panarama turbo (eventhough it’s German).
Eric

If the Nissan is faster then they have a right to tell people.

Shane

faster does not mean better

Eric

True. But the stickers don’t say they are better. But that they are faster, cheaper and have more power. Also the % drop in depreciation will be less.
Is Nissan “Better” than Porsche NO but is the 370Z better than the Porsche they are comparing, Nissan think so.
Is Porsche the best car in the world I don’t think so.

Eric

Shane

Im sure that, given the choice, a 350z owner would rather have a porsche and FYI porsche is the greatest car manufacturer in the world and Im quite sure do not or have not ever owned one.

I can see how that type of advertising would appeal to you too

Eric

Correct I don’t have one nor wish to own one.

FMI Why is the Porsche the greatest car in the world.

TOP GEAR say it the Aston Martin V12 Vanquish
US army say it’s the HUMMER
Current world sales say Corolla
Current Australian non fleet say Mazda M3
Overall sales say VW Beetle
Environmentalists say Prius

I find the ad funny. That’s all.

Alex

370z is still not a Porsche. And thats the whole point.
TomJ

Yeah, but there are alot of cars faster?

Taking down a Cayman and an Audi TT is boys play, lets see if they can go after a 911.

Joel

they have the GT-R is faster in every way and has beaten the 911 turbo around nurburgring. but porsch the sore losers that they are dispute this.

Eric

True, the Porsche dreams it was a 370Z
jay

135i is better value than the 370z

Eric

Twin turbo BMW I have heard very good things about them.

Eric
Makka Pakka

Out handled, out performed, out equipped by the 370Z and uglier to boot!

The Realist

Why would I want a Datsun when I could have a BMW?
upsy daisy

oooooooo hoooooo
j

When you’re forking out upwards of $70k, I don’t know about you but I’d prefer the “+2″ rear seats and a more useable boot space.

The 370z is a great car, but the 135i seems to be a better buy.

Sven

I made mistake once, buying Z car. What a mistake! 5 years late it was just another Nissan, out of date, ugly and hard to sell.
Lars

Porsche sells dreams, Nissan is just another fast car. You can not dream about Nissan…?

Makka Pakka

Thats right, you can only dream about owning a Porsche but you could probably afford the Nissan which by category performs just as well!
ABMPSV

I would put it “Porsche sells dreams, Nissan is just dreaming”

sss

You can dream about Nissan GTR35…

http://dodge franz chong

GTR 35 Yes Please.If that alone gets people into the Nissan Showroom to buy Micra or Tiida I am all for it.

Hedge Hob

I personally am fond of both makers but I’m not sure why Porsche would be so upset – Nissan come off looking like wannabes and Porsche has a motorsport heritage second to none.
Joel

the nissan looks better than both of them buy a 370z and you pay for a 370z buy a porsche caymen and you pay for a fancy badge that reads “porsche” and a slow cocky outdated car comes with it. and what are you saying about yourself by buying a caymen? look at me im rich and succsesful even tho i cant afford a 911, im just pretending to be rich therefor im a cock.
this ad is funny.
i have nothing against audi because they are calm about this and accept that nissan made a faster car porsche on the other hand think they are in an enirely different league even though they have been repeatedly beaten by nissan in several motor racing events and on the nurburgring.
Joel

the nissan looks better than both of them buy a 370z and you pay for a 370z buy a porsche caymen and you pay for a fancy badge that reads “porsche” and a slow c-o-c-k-y outdated car comes with it. and what are you saying about yourself by buying a caymen? look at me im rich and succsesful even tho i cant afford a 911, im just pretending to be rich therefor im a c-o-c-k.
this ad is funny.
i have nothing against audi because they are calm about this and accept that nissan made a faster car porsche on the other hand think they are in an enirely different league even though they have been repeatedly beaten by nissan in several motor racing events and on the nurburgring.
Lars

you miss the point. Porsche is cool, Nissan is not. How fast it can go is not important. Speed limit in Aus is 110, any white van can do that.

Makka Pakka

Porsches are the blandest supercars available, they all just look bland ugly for the money compared Aston, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Audi R8, GTR, Corvette!
So with Porsches, looking good is not that important either!

ABMPSV

This is a stupid advertising from Nissan. What is happened eith NIssan at the 24h Nurburgring race! They beat the lap record…than on the race finished 9 laps behind the winner BMW M3 and 3 laps behind the Porsche which was in the same class SP7. Nissan just would like to be a Porsche somehow Japanese comparing they cars to Europeans. When this will stop maybe than a Nissan will be a close competition to Porsche.
Brett

Listen to you guys! Who started all this? Nissan beat the 911 Turbo around the Ring, yet Porche immediately stood up and said it was impossible. What a pack of sore losers! They should have complimented them in such an achievment and strived to do better.

As for you first responders saying it’s petty, are you Australian or not? We would always do this to each other (Ford/Holden), so don’t take it to heart. Porche should also see this as funny, then mimic a funny return. Everyone wins.

Get a sense of humour Porche!
Hung Low

The Porsche fans on here seem to be reacting to this news in the same typical fashion that Porsche initially did!
Get a sense of humour and get over it!

Nissan always said that they bench marked the GTr against the 911 Turbo which was initially very respective of them acknowledging the Porsche to be one of the best, a bench mark. But Porsche cannot do the same and admit defeat and cry dirty! It is no wonder why Nissan has now rubbed salt into the wound!

Nissan as it currently stands has hurt Porsche with the 370Z and GTr in their categories when it comes to what Porsche does best, ‘the performance car’!
This does not mean that one is claiming to be a superior brand than another as some dimwits on here are going on about.
Porsche has already made sure that the new 911Turbo with PDK is as quick as the GTR and I am sure that Nissan will answer back with the V-Spec or Nismo version. All I know Porsche will now be very concerned with what the next GTr update will bring to the table. It is good times for the performance production car war, especially ever since the Japanese power limit of 206kw has been abolished. Toyota, Mazda and Honda need to get with the game and re-live the 90′s again with a new generation Supra, NSX and RX7 bench marked against Porsche. I would love to see the Germans try to call ‘dirty’ again!
The Realist

This is starting to get as bad as the Australia 1 – Germany 0 garbage from Government Motors a few years ago…
bulldogs

No one here own a Porsche. so stop dreaming… The Nissan GTR were so good at bathurst,,
Eric

Porsche don’t have to be a dream. There are 12 for sale on Carsales.com under $35000 in a 2000 modle and newer, and 151 under $35000 all up.

Eric
Andrew

Porsche should indeed get a sense of humour and instead of threats of lawsuits should reply with a picture of a Nissan stamped with ‘I dream of having pedigree of a Porsche’

SX8Z

I agree,

I think this ad.campaign by Nissan is going to backfire.

Instead of creating a unique image or persona for Nissan, they are reducing their customers to people ‘who cannot afford a Porsche’

Jav

I suppose the truth hurts!
Vibe

It was funny but now it’s just getting a bit juvenile.
vidallha

I read a review once, from memory it was pitching a 911 against a Ferrari 355. One quote stood out.

“Yes the 911 out accelerates the Ferrari in third gear but it’s just not important”.

I think the same applies to Nissan V Porche. A car is more than numbers around a track or 0-100 times, owning numerous Alfas at least taught me that much.