Nissan – case study
Fashion Drives the Car – Nissan lifestyle press view

Background
Nissan revealed its Coupé Cabriolet concept car, the Nissan Micra C+C+Conran at the British International Motor Show in Summer 2006.  This chic city run-about has a clever, electric folding roof and was designed by Sebastian Conran, of Conran fame, together with Marisol Manso Cortina – fashion designer turned car designer – from Nissan’s design HQ in London.

Designed as a fashion and lifestyle accessory, the car draws on Japanese influences with its pearlescent ‘Blushing Black’ paint exterior and light-catching luminous cherry tree leaf detail in the rear boot-lid.  Inside, the sumptuous shocking red leather trim features a repeat of the leaf design printed in black, and there are other individual touches including an i-Pod holder to appeal especially to a female audience.

The Challenge
The C+C+Conran had secured coverage in the key motoring press, but Nissan wanted it to feature in the lifestyle and consumer media – a sector in which it’s notoriously difficult to achieve coverage about cars.

LawsonClarke PR was tasked with staging a lifestyle press event to capture journalists’ imagination and achieving quality lifestyle/consumer coverage, as well as building relationships with key contacts within this sector.

The Solution
LawsonClarke recommended focusing on the fashion/style/design angles, the profile and reputation of Sebastian Conran, and the ‘woman in a man’s world’ feature potential of Marisol Manso Cortina.  By offering a range of exclusive story lines and one-to-one interviews, journalists could get the story that interested them.

An eye catching and memorable invitation was key to portraying the editorial opportunities, while also linking the car to the world of fashion.  LawsonClarke decided on a design which mimicked a mood board – something the target press would be well used to seeing – and sent it both by email and post.

A media ‘hotspot’ venue – the Hospital Gallery in Covent Garden – was booked to give a central London location to help ensure press attendance, and, to make it even easier for journalists to attend, Nissan arranged a personalised chauffeur service for guests.

Pre-arranged exclusive interviews were offered to invitees while there was also a general drop-in period over lunch-time.

The Results
Around 100 positive contacts were established amongst some of the most influential design and lifestyle publications, with coverage already starting to appear.  The resulting database of receptive journalists will be used for future work, the next phase of which is planned for the summer.