Nissan Shifts Ad Focus from Price to Safety

Washington DC February 13, 2009; The AIADA newsletter reported that Nissan North America will stray from the discount-deal marketing pitch adopted late last year when a sinking economy kept consumers away from U.S. dealerships.

A TV ad campaign that begins today will tout the loftier messages of safety, quality, and performance. According to Automotive News, the shift suggests the automaker believes shoppers are not as wary of committing to a vehicle purchase as they were in the fourth quarter.

As part of the campaign, dubbed "Look Closer, Nissan Delivers," the automaker is phasing out 0.0 percent loan rates, except on its shrinking supply of 2008 models. "We feel that 0.0 is something we can still come back to, but only if necessary," Erich Marx, Nissan North America's director of marketing communications and media, said in an interview Wednesday. "But we don't see 2009 being a business climate for balloons and tent sales. We want to get consumers to look closer at the entire brand, at issues like crash-test safety and third-party ratings.