Nissan will have a lot to say about its new Taxi of Tomorrow during the NY Auto Sow.
Lots of parties, Javits, more parties, Javits, some dinners, airport crush then home
Party and event planners, caterers, bars, four star restaurants, hotels from luxury to lout, limo services, cabs and other purveyors of service and satisfaction in the Big Apple have been smiling for weeks: the New York Auto Show starts next week. Gentlemen and ladies start your pedometers or get the smart phone app – there are miles upon miles to be logged in just two days inside Jacob Javits Center as the 2012 New York International Auto Show gets underway.
Bring ear plugs, the music will be very loud and dissonant. Sun shades help as the halogen lights bounce and reflect off the constantly shining surfaces of the vehicles on display. It’s time to catch-up with friends, colleagues and industry gossip during the hike to yet another reveal and executive speech.
It’s the NY Auto Show — relax and enjoy – this is the best! Spring can now officially begin. Passover starts Friday night — not during the show for the= first time in years for those who have missed first night sedar. The annual Easter egg hunt in Central Park and Fifth Avenue fashion promenade is just days away. Try to get a cab early for the ride to La Guardia, JFK or Newark – it’s gonna be one helluva mess to get through TSA no matter which airport, starting Thursday and becoming unimaginable Friday. If you’re not making the trip to NYC, no worries –Infiniti, Nissan and Hyundai among others will have live streaming of their media conferences.
A closer look at the Taxi of Tomorrow.
Taxi! Taxi!! Where in hell are the taxis?
Nissan knows. New York is a city that could not survive without its fleet of cabs and their rapacious, riotous and raucous drivers. Nissan was the unexpected winner to come up with a bigger, cleaner replacement for the now-abandoned Ford Crown Victoria and it’s so-called Taxi of Tomorrow is slated to begin operation soon and what better timing than to give the local denizens and, of course, us auto folks a special preview of the future. Their ‘Taxi of Tomorrow’ will have unequaled exposure during the media preview and continuing through the run of the New York Auto Show.
There’s a humongous moving board with a 3D sliding door opposite the main entrance of Javits as well as a couple of adjacent billboards. Four hundred taxis will have special topper displays announcing the future. And, for added impact, there’s a TOT (Taxi of Tomorrow) foam finger – index of course, as in “we’re number one’” — to be passed out, that when worn to hail a cab will receive a custom gift card worth $15 that can be used for the ride. Tweetor FaceBook the event and there’s a special gift card, as well. Of course there’s a limit to how much will be expended. This is New York, remember.
Nissan hopes to make the 2012 NAIAS its show when it also lifts the covers on the new Altima.
It’s obvious – the king/queen of the NY Show will be four door sedans
Crossovers, SUVs, small cars are important but the already hot four door sedan category is getting even hotter. Think about the new sedans that are capturing consumer attention – Sonata, Optima, Camry, Civic, Malibu – sales. One key vehicle is missing, Nissan’s Altima. The lack of information about this new vehicle is astounding, but the news break is coming next week and to build interest in the unveiling/reveal of the new midsize model Nissan has developed a multi-media approach on the web and enthusiast magazines and a big statement in NYC in two phases.
The first phase (March 26 to April 2) of the 2013 Altima promo began with this teaser ad that appeared earlier this week. When auto types arrive in NY next week there will be a dozen bulletin board units around the high traffic areas, 150 phone kiosks (do people still use these nasty things?) and 150 bus king signage – all tease views of the car. Additionally there were web-teasers-sneak-peaks, and you can check them out by Clicking Here.
Phase two from April 2 thru April 15, changes the creative to show the new sedan.
I’ve had an opportunity to look at the new commercials in the not-quite-finished form but unable to show or tell about till they start airing April 5. Well, maybe giving the names of the commercials, Unveiling and Light Bulb, aren’t TMI.
March Madness Final Four: A big game for Infiniti
Your bracket picks have been lousy. The office pool a joke. Popular alma maters have been dumped. But the NCAA basketball frenzy has filled the void between NFL and MLB (sorry NHL fans) for television viewers, sports magazines, and countless hours on ESPN’s Sports Center. Infiniti has been an integral part of the March Madness hoping their presence on television with new JX commercials broadcast from Selection Sunday thru the Final Four and Championship game will result in dealer visits to see the their new luxury crossover, the 2013 Infiniti JX. Four commercials have been running in a rotation, but my favorite is the one called, Invisible. Click Here to check it out.
Reaching out to fans is the brand’s sponsorship of “Round by Round” a bracket game to benefit Coaches vs. Cancer, which is collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). Based on fan participation there is a sizable increase in the target donation amount up to $1 million from Infiniti for the fight against cancer which includes a $100,000 donation to the winning coach’s charity. It is part of Infiniti’s comprehensive corporate partnership with the NCAA, CBS Sports and Turner Sports, NCAA Men’s Basketball and the 2012 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. And for the smartphone roundball devotees Infiniti was involved with Sports Illustrated magazine’s new interactive app.
Ad of the week – Very visible Mercedes invisible commercial and viral video
First saw this very interesting commercial produced by Jung Von Mau Agency in Hamburg for Mercedes-Benz almost a month ago. For its production values alone it’s worth a three star review. Click Here for a look.
Safe and sane travels to NYC.