Gran Turismo, The Ultimate “Brand Ambassador?”

Posted by: Matt Vella on May 06

A little more than a year ago, as Nissan was laying the groundwork for the launch of its GT-R supercar in the United States, a high-level marketing executive first put the thought in my mind. A new incarnation of a legendary nameplate that until now has only been available in the U.S. as a grey market import, the GT-R is a $70,000 monster machine that looks like a cross between a Ferrari and a Gundam robot. (Read more about the design here.)

Executives around the table were explaining the company’s plans for marketing the cult vehicle, given its limited production availability and company-wide lean times that naturally create a focus on volume sellers like the Altima sedan. Talking about the GT-R research Nissan had done, one of the senior executives said the following:

“It blew us away, really it did. But one of the chief responses in our consumer surveys about the car – one of the chief places people had heard about the car was this game, this video game called Gran Turismo.”

A community of fans had, in effect, partially kept tabs on the sub-brand through the game; the driving simulator, in other words, had become their main touch-point with a coveted but unavailable product. Promotional support of a brand by a game is nothing new obviously, but this case seems different and possibly even instructive of how marketers can make the most of the medium.

In this case a cult brand was tied into a game which appeals to overlapping enthusiast communities – hardcore racing simulators and GT-R fanboys. What Nissan’s research seems to mean is that, for many years, for many would-be customers, this tie up became the experience of the brand, rather than just polygonal advertising.

Fast forward to the recent release of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, precursor to the next-generation Gran Turismo title. The game’s box features the GT-R, a coveted spot and an indication of Nissan’s recognition of the importance of the franchise. (Gran Turismo 4’s box art featured the Ford GT super car in 2005.) And today there’s word that the company is adding on.

From PS3Fanboy’s live coverage of PlayStation Day 2008:

Reeves is back. Says GT5:P is the best car game in the world. 1.5 million copies sold. Pleased to announce a competition in conjunction with Nissan. GT Academy — competition spanning 7 months. Prize: 4 month racing training program to get their license, then they get to race in the 24 hour Dubai race in 2009 on Nissan’s team.

Simon from Nissan on stage. Many Nissan cars have a cult following thanks to GT. GT Race Academy is a natural and exciting extension to the Sony/Nissan relationship. People can finally answer the “can I do this?” question when it comes to virtual racing. Lots of GT5 in-game footage. 23rd May 2008 on PSN.

Read the rest here.