‘Patrol: The Movie' Brings Home Prestigious Shorty Award for Nissan

• Hugely successful activation awarded by world’s leading experts

Dubai, UAE, July 25, 2016:  Nissan has won a Bronze Shorty Award for its recent, highly successful activation, Patrol: The Movie, which had its global debut at the Dubai International Motor Show in November, 2015. 

The annual Shorty Awards, known globally as ‘The Shortys’, has become recognised as the social media industry’s most prestigious event, paying tribute to the true talent displayed on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and other social platforms. 

The Shorty’s jury members recognised the brilliance and innovation of Nissan’s interactivity with Patrol: The Movie, which involved visitors to the show taking part in the filming of several short scenes to produce a movie ‘trailer’, featuring two secret agents - each in Nissan cars - in a desert location car chase showdown. The actor became ‘Agent 23’ within the trailer, as the two characters battled it out across the desert in an explosive face-off, featuring the All New Nissan Maxima and the Nissan Patrol.

David Parkinson, Nissan Head Digital Africa, Middle East and India, explained the reasoning behind the activation. “We thought long and hard about how to get customers to experience the excitement of Nissan through innovation at the motor show. This activation, normally seen in Hollywood studios or major theme parks, did exactly that, while also allowing customers to feel the amazing Nissan Patrol up close and personal as part of the action”.

Renowned film directors were on hand to guide the aspiring movie stars, shooting scenes using equipment normally used for producing Hollywood blockbusters. The resulting footage was then quickly edited into professional trailers to be shared on social media platforms, where they immediately found a worldwide audience.

To complete the film star experience, participants walked out of the filming facility and onto a red carpet, where they came face-to-face with full-sized posters for ‘Nissan Patrol: The Movie, having the person’s photo featured alongside their name as the starring lead actor or actress. 

The activation received top Share of Voice at the Dubai International Motor Show 2015 with a reach of 8.4 million on Facebook, 4.4 million on Twitter, 450,000 Instagram interactions, and 3 million video views.

“Anyone who took part in this at the Dubai Motor Show would no doubt agree that this award is entirely deserved,” remarks Samir Cherfan, Nissan Middle East’s Managing Director. “It had a real impact, providing a rare glimpse at how action movies are made with today’s technology, and it was a lot of fun - something that Nissan is known for around the world. But more importantly it was an extremely effective marketing tool, perfectly suited to social media’s immediacy and global reach.”

Apart from making social media stars of those who became ‘Agent 23’, the latest Nissan Patrol featured heavily throughout. As this region’s favourite full-size SUV, its inclusion struck a chord with fans of the model, helping the activation gain extra traction and more shares all over the world.