Marketing green has been a significant trend for awhile now. So, when this ad opens up with a shot of huge chunks of ice crashing off the polar ice shelf as a lone polar bear watches from his tiny ice flow it seems it could be an ad for almost anything. We've seen spots with ice and polar bears representing global warming issues before. But, this spot is not only beautifully shot, it's engaging.
The next thing you see is our bear swimming off and then coming on shore. But the shore isn't anywhere near the arctic. The camera follows our lone bear as he pads his way though the countryside, down railways and highways, occasionally snarling at a passing truck. Then he ambles into the city and up someone's driveway. He rears on his hind legs behind some poor unsuspecting soul. But, he doesn't rip the guy to shreds. He's not angry at all – he just wanted to give the driver of this all electric car a big bear hug.
The spot is good storytelling without any words till the end. And it makes a salient point about the key product attribute. Nice job, Nissan.
Nissan Leaf: Polar Bear
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Mike McClure, Exec Creative Director & Social Media Guy
Omg, that is the cutest commercial I have ever seen. In the end I thought the guy was going to be scared of the bear hiding behind his Leaf but the bar gave him a hug for going green. I wonder if this has been airing on tv? Haven’t watched tv lately.
http://www.puentehillsnissan.com/
Wow. A Nissan dealer likeing a Nissan ad, who’d a thunk it? But seriously, I’m glad you liked it, I did too. The ending with the bear was a bit of a surprise. The commercial was airing when I posted this back in Sept and I’ve seen it since, but not recently. So, I don’t know if it’s still on the air or not.