MANILA, Philippines - “Since last year, Nissan has started to make a comeback into the Philippine market,” says SJ Huh, general manager, marketing, Nissan Philippines Inc. “We see that the Philippine market can be one of the key pillars in the Asian region. We are serious about this market and this is why we are making a comeback.”
SJ knows that restoring the old glory of Nissan is no easy task. This is why starting last year, Nissan Philippines began its campaign to bring Nissan back to the Pinoy consciousness and into their hearts with the launch of new variants in their vehicle line. The Sylphy, Altima, X-Trail, Navara and Urvan have been launched in a little over a year. SJ explains, “These launches are not minor changes made to the vehicles – all five vehicles have been launched as brand-new units.”
The campaign is not just about introducing new vehicles, it is about getting the whole brand re-recognized. SJ shares that work is also being done on the expansion of NIssan dealerships. More importantly, it is important to catch the market’s attention with innovative ideas and promos, which Nissan will be announcing later this month.
“We are doing a lot of things to improve our presence because we know that this market has big potential and that we have what it takes to meet the need of our market,” adds SJ. “We haven’t realized our full potential yet.”
SJ says that being a foreigner, he has asked almost all the people he has met if they are aware of the Nissan brand. He laughs as he shares that many Pinoys know Nissan as the car with the best airconditioning system. But, he adds, with a trace of sadness, “All this is said in the past tense.”
“Many Pinoys also told me that their first car was a Nissan, a Sentra,” shares SJ. “But because we were known in the past, I am sure we can bring Nissan back to where it was, and make it even bigger, soon.”
Enter the sylphy
“Why Sylphy?” I ask.
SJ says that actually what Nissan wants to do for Asian countries is to establish one brand name for all its cars. In Asia, what used to be known as the Sentra of the ‘80s, is now the Sylphy.
When the Sylphy was first introduced to the Philippine market in 2014, various TV and print ad campaigns were launched so that Pinoy car buyers would get to know the Sylphy. So far, the Sylphy has been doing well in the market, but Nissan Philippines wants to make things even better.
Not one to rest until Nissan regains its glory, Nissan Philippines recently launched the Nissan Sylphy Transformation promo.
The Nissan Sylphy Transformation promo is an online contest where participants have the chance to win a brand-new Nissan Sylphy. To join, participants simply have to choose an old photo of themselves, and upload this to the Nissan Sylphy Transformation app on the official Nissan Philippines Facebook page (http://facebook.com/NissanPhilippinesInc) through their desktop browser, along with a recent photo. A composite of the two images will then be displayed, along with a choice of Sylphy features that can be selected as their favorite. These include the Sylphy’s dynamic exterior design, LED accent headlamps, push button start, remote keyless entry, a dual climate control system, the smooth Xtronic CVT transmission, spacious cabin or huge trunk space.
Participants will then get to post and share their entries on their Facebook walls. Judging will be based on the number of votes per entry, as well as how big the degree of the transformation happened between the old and new photos.
“The Nissan Sylphy Transformation promo is an exciting way to showcase how much a person can change over the years, in the same way that the Sentra has transformed to become the new Nissan Sylphy,” says SJ. “Most Filipinos grew up with the Sentra badge and what we now want them to realize is that, like them, the Sentra also grew up. The new Nissan Sylphy brings a fresher, more modern design to the beloved Sentra, and takes it a notch higher by offering more for its class in terms of space, power, and driving pleasure.”
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Deadline of submission of entries will be on Oct 31. For the complete promo mechanics and details, visit the official Nissan Philippines Facebook page. (http://www.facebook.com/NissanPhilippinesInc) .