Automotive News - May 19, 2008 - (Page N16J)

N16J • MAY 19, 2008 NISSAN’S 50 Years in America Datsun’s name change to Nissan was rocky. Ad director Opre handled the thankless task dictated by Japan. J oe Opre helped shape Nissan’s public image in a 26-year marketing career — and he has the scars to show for it. He guided the brand-name switch from Datsun to Nissan in the 1980s. And he was involved — for better or worse — in the infamous “Rocks and Trees” advertising campaign, which tried to launch the Infiniti brand without showing any vehicles. Opre joined Datsun in 1971 from American Motors’ marketing department and quickly staked his claim in the young Japanese company’s advertising effort. The company was growing fast — too fast for boutique agency Parker Advertising. “We needed more service, and Parker had no research department, no real account services people,” Opre recalled. “Our intent was for John (Parker) to grow with us. We needed for him to expand, and he didn’t want to.” Agency turnover Parker wanted to stay small, so Opre dumped the agency for big-time firm William Esty in 1977. When Esty’s mediabuying power came up short, Opre replaced it with creative powerhouse Chiat/Day/Mojo. But choosing agencies was nothing compared to being flung into the parent company’s quest to change the brand’s name in the United States from Datsun to Nissan. The parent’s badge was used only in Japan. All exported cars were Datsuns. Although a clear majority of Americans knew what Datsun was, few knew what Nissan represented. Changing the brand name would have catastrophic consequences, Opre and many others argued. But there was no fighting Tokyo. JOE OPRE Earliest Nissan involvement: 1971 Role: Director, advertising and sales promotion Key influence: Handled DatsunNissan name change and Infiniti’s “Rocks and Trees” campaign Although not carried out until 1984, the name change had been in the works since 1981. Opre’s team wrote the early project notes in longhand, so a typist wouldn’t be in the room and possibly leak the reports to friends in the company. The U.S. team made numerous recommendations, but Nissan Japan followed none of the advice. The result was a drawn-out fiasco that confused the public and hampered Nissan sales for years to come. Said Opre: “Even our Japanese bosses in L.A. were disagreeing with the party line, but Japan vetoed all the ideas. I still don’t know why they did that.” Rocks and trees Giving Nissan a brand image was one thing. Launching a luxury franchise was another. Along with Bill Bruce and Bob Thomas, Opre was part of the launch team for the Infiniti brand in the late 1980s, a group known as the Horizon Project. “It was really heated and divided whether to do it,” said Opre, now 65 and retired. “We knew Toyota was going to do something. Honda already had Acura. But the parent company was going to do this no matter what.” The early Infiniti products were no match for Acura and Lexus vehicles. As a result, Infiniti went contrary to the Advertising 101 maxim: Show the car. Instead, TV viewers saw serene panoramas and heard Zen koans about rocks and trees. “I favored not showing the cars. We had nothing to show,” Opre said. “The Q45 was ugly, it had no grille. People hated the look. And the M30 was terrible. I still think it was the best tease campaign ever.” While brand recognition soared, it did nothing to entice people to buy Infiniti cars. When the cars arrived, they didn’t live up to the hype. Opre favored relenting and showing the cars, but he lost the boardroom brawl against other Nissan brass and the agency Hill, Holliday, Connors, Cosmopolous. Whether it was “Rocks and Trees” or inadequate products that doomed Infiniti to a decade of second-tier status is still debated today. — Mark Rechtin Partnering for continued success Yazaki salutes you on your ﬁrst 50 years in North America. From concept to production, Yazaki is honored to be your valued partner. We look forward to celebrating many more achievements with you in the years to come. All Systems GO ® Visit us at: www.yazaki-na.com http://www.yazaki-na.com http://www.yazaki-na.com

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Automotive News - May 19, 2008 Ford eyes smaller F-150 cousin Sonic: Mercedes tries to 'extort' store upgrades Chrysler seeks 25% slash in parts prices Dealership managers pushed Chrysler's latest incentive Crain names 4 new VPs Automotive News staffers win Wheel Awards GM will keep cutting sales to fleets GM studies the future of full-sized trucks American Axle plans to expand in Asia At Lexus, the sales laggards are cars VW positions Tiguan as 'GTI' of small SUVs Tata enters race for 100-mpg car Harley Earl was the daddy of auto design Focus will follow Fiesta as a global vehicle Lexus shows how it sweats details Industry slows tide of state CO2 rules Chevy tweaks Cobalt to add fuel economy Be careful; don't do anything dumb Looking ahead to different industry They thought they knew everything Cerberus doesn't belong in autos Dealers as scapegoats Smart, steady growth works best for suppliers Farley's smart to value Ford's heritage Absurd logic in the U.S., cowardice in Germany BMW, Daimler keep a wary eye on U.S. economy James Franey Dealers' approach can lessen pain of staff cuts GM plans to distinguish Opel with image makeover Make or buy? Software can estimate costs for company Honda, Toyota see robots in their futures Bosch aims to lead in hybrids technology King of hearts Clarke aims to get GM back on track in N.A. Fields navigates Ford through 'white water' LaSorda steers Chrysler's global ventures Toyota's Lentz: A crash course in hard times Truck sales fall 13% in April Modine sells Thermacore unit Alcoa to close Mexico plant Toyoda Gosei expands in Mexico Hayes Lemmerz plans to close Georgia factory Japan's sales slide 2% in 1st quarter; output climbs Dealers Hyundai let U.S. direct Sonata freshening After .com and .edu, is it time for .car? Panoramic sunroof of Lincoln MKS boosts Inalfa sales Chrysler hedged gas price bet Smart phones help dealerships retain customers CAW completes pacts with GM, Chrysler early GM, UAW resolve 2 disputes New media buyer for Chrysler Visteon names Stebbins CEO Convertible registrations drop Ferrari: From denial to debut Buildings Porsches in U.S.? Depends whom you ask Toyota will go slow in Tupelo Ghosn is glum on prices, U.S. sales prospects Pischetsrieder has earned a celebratory cigar NHTSA spins VINs, averts meltdown F_RD GU_S WI_ BUI-_KS 50 PEOPLE FOR 50 YEARS Yutaka Katayama Clarence Talley Jim Morton Pete Brock Marvin Runyon Yoshikazu Hanawa Bill Bruce Shin Maki Jack Collins Mitsuya "Scape" Goto Bob Link Soichi Kawazoe Jerry Hirshberg Takashi Ishihara Roy Rogers John Parker Bob Thomas Teruo Uchino Morrie Sage Bob Thomas Nobe Wakatsuki Earl Hesterberg Carlos Ghosn Lee Clow Jerry Benefield Yutaka Kume Doug Betts Tim McCarthy Jed Connelly Atsushi Nakatsuji Dave Hubbard Joe Opre Patrick Pelata Yoshiyuki Kimura Diane Allen Mad Mike Taylor Chuck King Larry Dominique Mark Igo Mitsuhiko Yamashita Shiro Nakamura Tom Mignanelli Dick Roberts William Cushing Emil Hassan Chester Luby Jane Nakagawa Louis Schweitzer MR. K Ray Lemke Richard McCutcheon

Automotive News - May 19, 2008

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