A new campaign celebrates Australia’s off-road culture as Nissan turned 7.7 million square kilometers into the stage for a nationwide hunt. With ‘Patrol, It’s Out There’, the challenge was simple: track down a hidden Nissan Patrol across one of the toughest landscapes on earth.

From there, it became a game of hide-and-seek, ending with the ultimate prize: finders keepers.

advertisement

The campaign drew on 4×4 communities who camp under the stars and treat the outback as a proving ground. Their involvement added authenticity and grit, shaping an integrated effort that began with the hunt and culminated with a 30-second TV spot.

“Leveraging Patrol’s long history in Australia, we sought to intrigue Australia’s 4×4 communities and adventurers at heart,” said Bilgen Tug, Director Brand and Customer Experience, Nissan.

advertisement

“To do so, we celebrated how a Nissan Patrol can give anyone the opportunity to explore all that the Australian landscape has to offer and captured those moments in an authentic way.”

The experience began online with cryptic clues from Oscar Pearce, Australia’s leading geolocator and GeoGuessr World Cup representative. His clues required participants to study soil composition, trace tree lines, and even read the angle of light across ridges.

It sounds simple, but as productions go, it was beyond what we’d ever attempted.

The campaign integrated across platforms and media partner CarExpert.com.au dropped the first clue, sparking conversation across 4×4 forums. According to the campaign, more than 1,000 Australians featured in video entries, eager to prove their off-road skills and spirit of adventure.

Five teams were flown into South Australia’s Bendleby Ranges, a fifth-generation working sheep station with more than 200 kilometres of 4WD tracks.

The production was brought to life with TBWA\Melbourne, Nissan Australia, Revolver and Glue Society. Safety protocols and off-road access at this scale pushed the limits of planning and execution.

“The idea of hiding a Nissan Patrol in the middle of the Australian outback and allowing people to test their detective and driving skills to find it was something we couldn’t resist being part of,” said Director, Jonathan Kneebone, Glue Society.

“It sounds simple, but as productions go, it was beyond what we’d ever attempted. Wild weather events, extraordinary remoteness and lack of infrastructure aside, the reward was in making the seemingly impossible happen. It bought out the real adventurer in all of us, just like the Patrol itself.”

The winning mother-and-son team, Beth and Travers, were overjoyed by the “life-changing” win, as Travers described it. He said his first trip would be to visit Beth’s farm with his family.

“Finders-keepers with a brand-new Nissan Patrol. Watching the lengths people went to, in order to enter this competition was amazing. It’s a level of engagement with a brand that’s often so hard to achieve,” said Paul Reardon, Chief Creative Officer, TBWA\Melbourne.

“And at the heart of the competition, amongst all the excitement, we also had a brilliant product demonstration, contestants drove Nissan Patrols to find one, in harsh Australian 4WDing conditions.”

Stephanie Gwee, Creative Director, TBWA\Melbourne added: “Hiding a Patrol in the outback wasn’t just a stunt and it wasn’t just advertising. It was a way to show that this vehicle belongs to the land and the people who take it on. This campaign was about celebrating that spirit and inviting even more Australians into the story.”

Credits

Client: Nissan Australia
Director Brand and Customer Experience: Bilgen Tug
Senior Manager Brand, Marketing Communications & Sponsorship: Alison Clancey
Marketing Communications Manager: Sara Grobelna

TBWA\Melbourne
Chief Creative Officer: Paul Reardon
Creative Director: Stephanie Gwee
Head Producer: Joel Morgan
Producer: Maria Borowski
Head of Planning: Virginia Pracht
Creative: Scott Canning
Creative: Bruce Baldwin
Creative: Amy Peden
Creative: Ryan Doray
BTS/Social Editor: Tom Edney

NissanUnited
Client Partner: Cameron Green
Business Director: Jeremiah Espanto
Social Media Manager: Michaela Stevenson
Group Account Director (Media): Rebecca Lloyd
Account Director (Media): Yvette Crimmins

Production Company: Revolver
Director: Glue Society
Managing Director/Co-Owner: Michael Ritchie
Executive Producer/Partner: Pip Smart
Executive Producer: Jasmin Helliar
Senior Producer: Serena Paull
DOP: Jordan Maddocks

Post Production: Glue Society Studios
Editor: Luke Crethar
Colourist + Online: Scott Stirling

Sound Production: Rumble Studios
Music Composition: Rumble Studios

Media Partners
CarExpert
Seven West Media