Words: Magna Carta
Datsun is launching a new brand initiative to thank its first 100 000 customers* for choosing a new Datsun vehicle.
The campaign celebrates the return of the famous brand and opens the next chapter in the Datsun story. It will be launched simultaneously on September 1, 2015 in the four countries where Datsun has been introduced – India, Indonesia, Russia and South Africa.
Customers will be invited to upload their stories to official Datsun pages through social networks using country-specific hashtags. The best stories will then be selected by a jury comprising representatives in the regions and the global Datsun Business Unit in Japan. A number of the best stories will also be published on the global website:www.datsun.com/datsunstories.
The writers of the chosen stories – one from each market where Datsuns are sold today – will win a trip to Japan, Datsun’s home. The car manufacturing company also plans to turn the winning stories into mini-movies, and to publish a book with the 20 best anecdotes, taking the top five from each market.
Vincent Cobee, Global Head of Datsun, says, “We are grateful to all of our customers who have chosen Datsun. For many of them, this might have been their very first car, giving them access to new levels of personal mobility and freedom. Their purchase has turned a new page in their lives, helping them access new heights and realise a dream. We would like to thank all our customers in the four countries for their choice and for putting their trust in Datsun.”
The Datsun GO was the first offering bearing the modernised brand to take to South Africa’s roads since the early 1980s. This trend has continued in the new year with 2 671 sales since January, positioning Datsun as the leader in the 2015 A-segment dealer sales.
“The Datsun brand has such a rich history in South Africa; from the proud Datsun SSS days to the legendary Datsun bakkies that at least one of our family members owned. We are looking forward to hearing the stories from a new generation of Datsun owners,” says Des Fenner, General Manager at Datsun South Africa.
South African customers who have opted to receive communication from Datsun will be contacted to share their stories on Datsun’s Facebook page, Twitter or Instagram using #dastunsstories_za.
*Datsun sales started in March 2014 when the Datsun GO arrived in showrooms in India. The important 100 000 sales milestone – representing cumulative sales across the four markets – will be reached in early September 2015.
About Datsun
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. announced the return of the Datsun brand, Nissan's third global brand, alongside Nissan and Infiniti, in March 2012. Datsun provides a sustainable motoring experience to optimistic up-and-coming customers in high-growth markets. Datsun represents 80 years of accumulated Japanese car-making expertise and is an important part of Nissan's DNA. The new Datsun brand stands for Dream, Access and Trust. The overall Datsun customer offer includes a worry-free ownership experience at competitive cost, accessible services, with transparent pricing, and dealership proximity. Datsun cars are on sale now in India, Indonesia, Russia and South Africa.
Datsun History
Datsun originated in Japan as DAT-GO (the DAT-car) almost a century ago in 1914. The word DAT means ‘lightning-fast’ in Japanese but is also a reference to the first letters of family names of the three financiers who supported the business at the time: Den, Aoyama and Takeuchi. Using the same logic, it was promoted as Durable, Attractive and Trustworthy, or DAT for short.
In 1933, Nissan’s founding father Yoshisuke Aikawa took over the business with a vision of “mobility for all”. The introduction of a light-weight, economical yet resilient car to meet the aspirations of young Japanese people in the early 1930s was named the ‘son of DAT’ – Datson - which later changed to Datsun. Local engineering and mass-production made the founder’s dream a reality.
