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Overview
From finding local restaurants to finding auto dealers, Internet users have been mapping and searching online for years. But at what point do consumers begin to expect more from the search technology they use every day? And how can advertisers be ready and waiting at that new digital touchpoint when the consumer arrives?
Even for the non-gaming-inclined, it’s hard to deny the allure of today’s visually immersive video games. Of course, the consumer-geared potential for that progressive technology goes far beyond gaming—it opens doors for people who use the Internet every day to search and map. And forward-thinking companies like Nissan are betting that while eye-catching graphics are generally a great way to get consumers’ attention, they can go beyond the flash to really provide a service.
"Broadening our relationship with Microsoft will enable us to deliver targeted messages to consumers across a diverse online network." —Jan Thompson, Vice President of Marketing, Nissan North America
It was that very notion that sparked an exciting collaboration between Nissan and Microsoft® Digital Advertising Solutions. With the release of Microsoft Virtual Earth™, a cutting edge 3-D online mapping tool, Microsoft was taking what it believes is the next step in search—visual search. The imaging technology actually allows people to “fly” through cities such as San Francisco, as if playing a very sophisticated video game. As users zoom into the intersection of Haight and Ashbury, for example, they’ll actually be able to see the corner from street level.
That’s where Nissan saw a superb opportunity to dynamically engage its audience. By placing large, colorful 3-D billboards over the cityscapes, they would have a compelling vehicle to encourage users to click through to their website.
