Automotive News - May 19, 2008 - (Page N18)

N18 • MAY 19, 2008 NISSAN’S 50 Years in America Few consumers knew about Datsun in the 1960s. John Parker fixed that with Roy Rogers, a great little pickup and trips to Japan seeking TV money. I n the 1960s, ad man John Parker did whatever it took to sell Datsuns. He hired singing cowboy Roy Rogers to hawk SUVs. He used his family members as models in ads. He flew to Japan to beg executives for TV money. But by the time the oil crises hit in the 1970s, Nissan Motor Co. was poised to sell lots of fuel-sipping vehicles in the United States. Parker picked up the account in 1963 for his fledgling firm, Parker Advertising. “They put great trust in a 30-year-old UCLA grad.” It was a time of experimentation, testing what product would sell, and what ads would fly. “We had a little pickup truck that sold for $1,596 — four cylinders, great economy and great dependability. There was nothing like it on the market, and that helped us get dealers because they would say, ‘Your sedans don’t look that great.’ “That’s when I got to be friends with Roy Rogers and we used him as a spokesman. I told him, ‘I can’t pay you, Roy, but I’ll give you as many pickup trucks as you want.’ Roy helped us get dealers.” After a year on the job, Parker went to Tokyo to persuade headquarters to do more in advertising. Getting a budget for advertising took time. “We talked to them, but they did not advertise a lot in Japan. They sold almost door to door. Salesmen would ring the doorbell, hand out a brochure and talk about the car. I explained to them that this was a huge country, and we needed to get on television. JOHN PARKER Earliest Nissan involvement: 1963 Role: Ran Nissan’s advertising account from 1963 to 1977 Key Influence: Built advertising campaigns on a shoestring that helped Nissan weather early years in the United States 1984 Nissan pickup Nissan built on its momentum in compact pickups. The 1984 model, the first assembled in the United States, boosted sales substantially. The budget was slow in coming, but eventually it did. They just didn’t understand it until they saw that it worked.” A big turnaround came with the arrival of the Z car in 1969. “Our theme was that every Datsun had that sporty Z car feel. That was our tag line in every ad, even for the pickup truck. The Z was a hot car.” When the oil crisis hit in 1973, and mileage was the consummate selling point, the Parker group drove a car from California to Maine, marking mileage along the way. For those who may have missed the point, the group gave away five-gallon gasoline cans. “We did a lot of creative stuff during the gas crisis. They pretty well gave me carte blanche. Sometimes I’d give a presentation and I’d look at my creative director and say, ‘Phil, let’s ask for the order and get out of here before they have buyer’s remorse. They were very, very good to work for.” One of the best reasons for working Parker posed in his own ads. with Nissan was the chance to work under Yutaka Katayama, who headed Nissan’s California operation. “He’s an advertising person, so he was great to work with. He would come to our presentations and he would get involved, and when he liked something, he would jump up and say, ‘That is great.’ And that was great for our staff to have the CEO so enthusiastic. It was a shot of adrenalin.” Parker’s tenure with Nissan ended shortly after Katayama returned to Japan. They are still friends. “He loves to tease me,” Parker says, noting a snapshot from a birthday gathering with Katayama forming rabbit ears over Parker’s head. “This year, we will be celebrating Katayama’s 100th birthday in Hawaii,” Parker says, “So he better make it.” — Mary Ann Maskery 6 Corporate Car Trainer® www.corporatecartrainer.com Consulting and Training A ranch, cowboys, the American West — Roy Rogers had it all to promote a little-known foreign brand Mr. Dealer is your staff losing customers? Are you hearing the same old Excuse! “Don’t worry Boss next Month will be better!” If you are looking for Miracles…You won’t find them here! But you just might find an easier way to get back to the Basics! S Call 800-955-7934 Everyone on your Staff needs to be Accountable! The Golden Eagle 15 Segments to Delivery© Complete Sales Process Best Practices and Industry Standards inging cowboy Roy Rogers was known for riding off into the sunset on his faithful horse, Trigger. But the TV star of the 1950s and ’60s also promoted another kind of horsepower: the Datsun Patrol. Rogers was a spokesman for the rugged twodoor SUV in the early 1960s. When the Japanese company needed an all-American spokesman, Rogers fit the bill. Nissan exported Patrols to the United States from 1961 to 1969 and sold about 2,600 during that time. It competed with the Toyota Land Cruiser. “Roy liked the Patrol, so Nissan offered him one (plus two pickups and a station wagon) in return for endorsing it,” according to the Web site www.DatsunHistory.com. Rogers’s son, Roy Rogers Jr., recalls his dad filming the Patrol commercial at the family’s sprawling ranch in Chatsworth, Calif. “It was shot just outside the master bedroom of the house,” says the younger Rogers. “Dad walked out of the bedroom — seems to me he was carrying a couple of rifles or a couple of shotguns. “He stepped up on the fence and said, ‘Well, I’m going to take the workhorse of the ranch out and do a little shooting with the boys.’ I remember him stepping over the fence, getting in and driving off.” — Arlena Sawyers ROY ROGERS Earliest Nissan involvement: About 1962 Role: Celebrity endorser of the Datsun Patrol SUV Key influence: Gave all-American appeal to Japanese import http://www.corporatecartrainer.com http://www.DatsunHistory.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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