Nissan’s latest UEFA Champions League (UCL) campaign has replaced injured soccer star ambassador Gareth Bale with Real Madrid CF fan Ana Rueda Hernandez to star alongside player endorser Sergio Agüero.
Hernandez, a student and part-time baker from Madrid, stars alongside the Manchester City striker in the official global automotive sponsor of the UCL’s latest TV commercial.
Nissan drafted in the 24-year-old Spaniard to replace global ambassador and Real Madrid attacker Bale, whose current injury (sustained during Real’s UCL match against Sporting Lisbon last November) prevented him from taking part in the filming of the new spot.
Ana was delighted and surprised when she discovered she had been selected to appear in the ad through a Bale fronted video message inviting her to take his place on the shoot and then stunned by the twist in the narrative that saw Bale himself surprise her with a visit (complete with crutches) to the spot’s set.
For Hernandez, the experience was a complete contrast to her everyday life of studying, working in her parents’ bakery and playing football for her local team CD Magerit.
The ad, which debuted during the first knock-out round of the tournament, is backed-up by a behind-the-scenes video and was posted on the Nissan YouTube channel on 21 February.
The commercial, which comes in multiple languages,
And the campaign is further supported across the brand’s digital and social channels where it also amplifies its ongoing #GoalOfTheWeek UCL fan competition.
‘I still don’t believe it – I am so excited this is happening to me. I have been playing football in the streets with my brothers since I was a child and now to be picked up as Gareth Bale’s substitute is incredible. Gareth is my favourite player anyway – I wish I had the same left leg,’ said Hernandez (whose favourite player also happens to be Gareth Bale).
‘At the beginning I was really nervous, but after a few minutes we started speaking in Spanish and telling each other about our lives, he was great.’
‘The UEFA Champions League sponsorship has provided Nissan with access to some of the most passionate football fans in the world, and in return we promised to deliver fans unexpected access to the most exciting tournament on the planet,’ adds Nissan Europe marketing VP Jean-Pierre Diernaz.
‘This is just one example of how we have been able to deliver this. We’re thrilled to be able to offer Ana the journey of a lifetime.’
Activative Comment:
It’s a familiar situation for many sports marketers: which other endorsers/players do you choose if the star ambassador you want to feature in your creative is injured and can’t make the shoot.
Nissan’s tactical response to this challenge both cuts through clutter because it makes a warm, good story, but it also demonstrates its fan-focus and commitment to supporters.
A nice little idea and one that has limited risk due the presence of another superstar player in Agüero for celebrity pull anyway.
Sergio Agüero and Gareth Bale, along with Andrés Iniesta are the three key footballer amdassadors in Nissan’s sports star endorser stable and front much of the auto sponsor’s UCL marketing and featured in Nissan UCL spots in Autumn 2016 leveraging the start of the current tournament.
The brand’s ongoing UEFA partnership (see our 2016, 2015 and 2014 case studies) is just one example of Nissan’s strategic commitment to leveraging sports partnership as a core pillar of its global growth strategy.
Other major sponsorships in Nissan’s portfolio include major international cricket events (eg the ICC Men’s and Women’s World Cups see our ‘T20 Play Of the Day’ and ‘T20 Ambassador’ case studies), the Canadian Football League, the Heisman Trust and Heisman Trophy (see case study), the City Football Group (which includes the Manchester City, Melbourne City and New York City clubs – eg see our ‘Man City Advent Calendar‘ case study), the Rio Olympics (see case study) and national Olympic committees such as Team GB (see our ‘Spoof Spots’ and ‘Facebook Live Train With Us’ case studies),
While Nissan’s NCAA partnership in the US is the widest-reaching sponsorship in the history of collegiate sports: supporting around 100 colleges and universities, as well as select NCAA Championships and covering 22 different sports (see our ‘Die Hard Fan’ case study).
Links:
Nissan
https://www.youtube.com/user/nissanineurope
https://twitter.com/NissanEurope
https://plus.google.com/u/0/+NissanEurope/posts
UEFA
http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/
