Nissan's "Urban" Fakeout

Who's writing graphitti all over Nissan's billboards? Why it's Nissan, of course! The name of a website, ElectricMoyo.com, is being spay painted on Nissan's ads. What can be found on ElectricMoyo.com? A "HyperSonic Transmission" of Nissan ads.

"Much respect to Nissan for allowing us to use their billboards and radio commercials as works of art, representing the kultcha of Electric MOYO and promoting our message of freedom, access and respect." Writes the Nisson paid "voice of Electric Moyo", a white, middle class advertising employee (I can only assume). The following pages of offer reams of writing about "freedom", "access", "positivity" and "movement" - in other words absolutely nothing at all, along with suspicious placement of the word "Nissan" and pictures of the company's cars all around - "I want goals that embrace the road ahead full of nappy dread and peace lovin' flavor in your ears. So I took my Nissan Altima and added a radio-broadcasting terminal to the trunk..." Writes whitey.

This Slate article calls the ad campaign an example of "subtle, stealthy marketing" but it strikes me as nothing more than yet another instance of the Corporate Mind trying to be "cool" and "down" with the "kids" and failing miserably (I mean, seriously, "nappy dread and peace lovin' flavor"???). Yet in its failure to be hip, it is unintentionally funny, and for that I thank you, Nissan.

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Dabitch's picture

"Actually, Nissan takes over street art - I LOVE this, by the way. I love how how "legitimate
underground artists" are pissed off that their idea of subversion is being subverted. And
it's probably the work of a street artist hired by a creative wonk like me at an agency to do
the subverting.

"But, but, I wanna be angry! I wanna fight the power! I'm not just some whiney tagger
bitching because, um, I get to decide what's cool and if you do something sort of cool-esque
it erodes my cool and my identity as EDGY and SUBVERSIVE..."

Waaaaah!!!

Memes are stronger than their media. This stuff makes me glow." ---Jordan on Adlist

Dabitch's picture

This is great!

Neaner's picture

And now Napster joins the Urban ad style with Napster stickers on fake posters.