(Picked the below up from WOMMA… pretty cool case setudy)

This campaign won a Silver WOMMY in the Engagement category for 2009.

Introducing a car into the Canadian market in the throes of a recession is gutsy. If that car is futuristic and literally named Cube, it seems downright mad. Nissan and Capital C were undeterred when they figured an unconventional car needed an unconventional entrance into the Canadian market.

You + Car = Brand

Nissan wanted to reach the Urban Gen Y audience, the most likely group to appreciate the small and fun image of the Cube. Traditional advertising was thrown out the window. Instead, Capital C planned to give away 50 Cubes via audition to the most creative people who wanted them. Through street teams, community managers and a lot of social interaction, 7,000 Canadians applied for a chance to audition. From them the top 500 were selected to compete by uploading any and all forms of content to the community page, Hypercube.ca. The best 50 creators were awarded a Nissan Cube.

The Results:

1. The sales goal of 300 cars per month was exceeded by 20 cars.

2. Awareness among Urban Gen Yers rose from 13% to 32%.

3. Over $1 million (USD) in earned media – 30 newspaper articles, 35 blog posts, 5 TV interviews & 3 radio interviews.

4. The community lives on with members contributing content at cubecommunity.ca.