Country Western Meets Heavy Metal
26 September 1997
Country Western Meets Heavy Metal
Johnny Cash Sings the Praises of the New 1998 Altima
CARSON, Calif., Sept. 26 -- Johnny Cash, "Laverne and
Shirley?" It's hard to believe that these two could have anything in common.
But together for the first time in a unique music video style production, a
quirky blend of country music and American '70s nostalgia is evoked when
country music icon Johnny Cash sings the popular theme song from the hit
sitcom "Laverne and Shirley," capturing the unique spirit of the 1998 Nissan
Altima.
"It's the most far-out thing I'd ever heard when they told me I was gonna
sing the theme song from the 'Laverne and Shirley' show for a Nissan
commercial," Cash said. "As it turned out, it feels so right with my sound on
this song. I couldn't believe the rearrangement they came up with."
"Assembly Line" was created for Nissan Motor Corporation U.S.A. by TBWA
Chiat/Day, Venice, Calif., and directed by Charles Wittenmeier of A Band Apart
Commercials, headquartered in Los Angeles, Calif. Wittenmeier also has
directed music videos, such as: "Mr. Jones" for Counting Crows; "Seasick Yet
Still Docked" for Morrissey; and "Pump Pump" for F-Mob.
"It was a unique challenge because there was so much to accomplish,"
Wittenmeier said. "This commercial has the tone of a music video. It's
entertaining. It has humor. It shows the inner workings of the factory.
I loved the idea of doing something so atypical."
The commercial opens with the whistle blowing, signaling the start of
another day at Nissan Motor Manufacturing Corporation U.S.A. (NMMC) in Smyrna,
Tenn. As the plant springs to life, Cash, with his classic country style and
soothing voice, sings the memorable lines, "We're gonna make our dreams come
true. Doing it our way." Often referred to as the "Man in Black," Cash
swaggers alongside a sleek black Altima as it goes through the various stages
of production at the Smyrna plant _- ultimately emerging as a "dream come
true."
"We created this commercial because we wanted to let people get a glimpse
of our award-winning Smyrna manufacturing plant, but we didn't want to do it
with a traditional 'factory' commercial," said Tom Orbe, vice president of
marketing, Nissan Motor Corporation U.S.A. "We are proud of the Altima, a
quality, American-made vehicle that has won the prestigious J.D. Power and
Associates Initial Quality (IQS) award for the past two years. What better
way to portray this than in "Assembly Line," which promotes the unity and
spirit of Nissan's manufacturing facility while keeping in tune with the fun
spirit of our 'Enjoy the ride.(TM)' Nissan advertising campaign."
"Assembly Line" will debut Sept. 28 during the Nissan-sponsored Wonderful
World of Disney's television premier of "Toy Story." The 45-second commercial
also will be broadcast through national network and cable media buys. It will
run in conjunction with other Altima spots currently airing that maintain the
entertaining feeling of the "Enjoy the ride." campaign.
The groundbreaking "Enjoy the ride." campaign, launched in August 1996,
has changed the face of automobile advertising. Communicating the joy of
driving a Nissan in an entertaining and informative format, the campaign
includes the mystical character "Mr. K," who brings magic and joy wherever he
appears. (Mr. K is loosely based on Yutaka Katayama, who started Nissan's
sales operation in the United States when vehicles were sold under the Datsun
name.)
The launch of the new '98 Altima this past summer represents the company's
first new product to be introduced under the award-winning "Enjoy the ride."
umbrella. As with the entire Altima campaign, Mr. K and his dog appear at the
end of the "Assembly Line" commercial, offering up the ever-present query
"Have you seen it?" The inquiring tagline, being used in conjunction with all
the Altima ads, was introduced June 30 during the teaser phase of the
campaign, which included bus wraps, bus shelters, billboards and movie
messages.
Domestic content of the 1998 Nissan Altima is 78 percent, making Altima an
American car by EPA standards. NMMC ranks as both the most productive car and
truck plant in North America. Representing an investment of $1.43 billion,
NMMC has more than 6,000 employees at two Tennessee plants. NMMC in Smyrna
makes Altima midsize sedans, Sentra passenger cars, the Nissan Frontier pickup
trucks and 200SX sports coupes. Thus far, the plant has produced more than
3.5 million vehicles, with the capacity to build 450,000 cars and trucks each
year.
In North America, Nissan's operations include styling, engineering,
manufacturing, sales, consumer and corporate finance, and industrial and
textile equipment. Nissan in North America employs more than 20,000 people in
the United States, Canada and Mexico and generates more than 70,000 jobs
through its 1,500 Nissan and Infiniti dealerships across the continent. More
information on Nissan in North America and the complete line of Nissan and
Infiniti vehicles can be found online at http://www.nissan-na.com.
SOURCE Nissan