Nissan Canada's Unique Test Drive Showcases Unlimited Possibilities of ARIYA

Through the seamless integration of AI and human creativity, Nissan has reimagined the vehicle tour and test drive for its newest EV, the Nissan ARIYA. Partnering with the global creative brand experience company Juniper Park\TBWA, Nissan Canada has launched the ‘Electrify Your Life’ campaign.

Aimed at boosting awareness of their EV lineup, this campaign offers a rare opportunity for Canadians to discover the cutting-edge Nissan ARIYA. The campaign's innovations are as electrifying and tech-driven as the vehicle itself.

Focusing on the ARIYA’s innovative features, Nissan needed a campaign that was equally ground breaking. With this in mind, Nissan enlisted three EV-curious Canadian content creators to engage with the most trustworthy source of information - themselves. In a studio with the Nissan ARIYA, the creators were surprised by an encounter with AI versions of themselves, who guided them through the vehicle's features and benefits, personalised to their own lifestyles.

"This campaign is unlike anything Nissan Canada has done before. We tapped into content creators with diverse interests that resonate with the Canadian audience and used AI technology to create custom avatars that offered a personalised discovery of the Nissan ARIYA tailored to each creator's lifestyle. The content ecosystem produced a variety of unique assets and video formats to spread the ARIYA message across channels. The team was pushed to think outside the box, creating thumb-stopping content and leveraging cutting-edge technology throughout our production. The result is a disruptive campaign with a look and feel entirely different from anything Nissan has previously done." said Alannah DavidClark, senior marketing manager, Nissan Canada.

Nissan showcased the electric side of three different creators through a surprise test drive that introduced them to the ARIYA - and their electric avatars. The process was discreet, with AI voice cloning, VFX, and animation work taking place behind the scenes for several months. Apart from a body scan and voice capture session, the creators were unaware of the full scope until they arrived on set. With the help of Rodeo FX and motion capture artists, each creator’s avatar was meticulously crafted using real insights into their hobbies and interests, creating a unique experience for each.

“Introducing an innovative vehicle like the ARIYA deserved a campaign just as innovative. But we wanted to make sure we weren’t using AI just because; it was paired with a lot of human craft – all in service of creating a real connection.” said Adam Reeves, chief creative officer, Juniper Park\TBWA.

Handpicked for their unique hobbies and followings that aligned with the ARIYA’s brand, Canadian content creators Karl Conrad (@karlconrad), Cheyenne Catchpole (@catchchey), and Laurent Dagenais (@laurent.dagenais) joined Nissan in the studio, unaware of the magic that had taken place behind the scenes. This secrecy ensured that the final spots captured genuine reactions - due to the surprise and excitement the creators felt when meeting their electric avatars and experiencing their personalised ARIYA tours, first takes were predominantly used. To preserve the authenticity of the experience, everything was done for real, despite the extensive background work involved. The avatars spoke to what mattered most to each creator, from Laurent’s love of snowboarding to Cheyenne’s culinary adventures, and Karl’s connection to his dog. These hyper-personalised details astonished the creators, making their experience uniquely tailored to them, both as individuals and as drivers.

“As the Electric Vehicles category matures, shoppers have evolved from Early Adopters to Early Majority, which has major implications for how they shop. They’re asking significantly more thoughtful, complex, and specific questions about the ever-increasing number of EV options. This new reality makes it hard for buyers to get all the answers they need. That led us to ask, ‘What if we created an AI avatar that could help them shop?’ And the idea took off from there.” said Bill Chamness, VP of strategy, Juniper Park\TBWA.

This campaign emerges as AI captures global attention. For Nissan, it was crucial to use AI and technology to enhance a human experience - a connection to the thrill of driving that is at the heart of every Nissan vehicle. The use of AI in ‘Electrify Your Life’ reflects TBWA’s commitment to helping Nissan innovate worldwide, as demonstrated by the unique creativity from Iruyo in Japan, which continues to propel Nissan forward.

The campaign launched this summer across Canada on TV, OLV, digital, social, and OOH.