50 Nissan cubes awarded at Hypercube events in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver

Hypercube Rewards Canadians From Across the Country for Creativity and Social Engagement

Main Release

Mississauga, ON – June 24, 2009 – Last night, after four months of engaging with Hypercube – Nissan Canada’s unique social media campaign that rewards creativity in Canada – 50 Canadians were awarded an all-new 2009 Nissan cube at events simulcast in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Many of the 500 finalists, their friends and other special guests gathered at the three events to see if they were one of the lucky recipients of a cube all their own.

“Hypercube is exceptional for Nissan because we are engaging with our consumers in such a relevant, unique and interactive way,” said Jeff Parent , VP of sales and marketing with Nissan Canada, from CiRCA nightclub in Toronto. “The 500 finalists created an extensive online community that interacted with each other, and their local communities, and really spread the word about the Nissan cube. It’s a very exciting evening to now be able to announce the winners.”

The 50 winners were announced at events simulcast in CiRCA in Toronto, Club Soda in Montreal and Gossip Nightclub in Vancouver. Finalists unable to make it to the events watched it all unfold via webcast. As names were announced, the ecstatic winners made their way on stage to celebrate and be recognized for their Hypercube creativity. In the coming weeks, all the winners will receive their brand new car from local dealerships.

The strong Hypercube community established over the past few months will continue beyond the event as winners blog about their life with cube for the next year. Based on what was seen throughout the audition phase, the 50 winners and their cubes are in for some exciting adventures.

The events also provided an opportunity for a few local Hypercube finalists – including singers, guitarists and visual artists – to showcase some of their talents during “15 Minutes of Fame” segments throughout the evening.

“The creativity of the Hypercube finalists is really astounding and what a unique opportunity to be able to share their talents on stage and in front of the Hypercube community,” said Parent. “It will be exciting to see what the winners get up to with their cubes over the next year.” “Our ultimate goal is to create a community of Cube advocates, to provide the content for the Cube community and ultimately become our advertising,” added Catherine Uhlig Green, advertising manager with Nissan Canada.

Several of the Hypercube judges, who had the difficult task of evaluating the 500 finalists and selecting the top 50, attended the events and mingled with the finalists and winners.  The independent panel was comprised of three English-speaking and three French-speaking judges. Dustin Rabin, a prominent Canadian concert photographer and Hypercube judge, attended the Toronto event.

“Hypercube was a great experience for me and the other judges because it gave us a chance to see firsthand the talent of the creative community in Canada,” said Rabin. “Some of the auditions were so unique and cutting edge and it’s great to see the winners receive the good news tonight!”

Follow along as the Hypercube winners will soon blog about their life with cube at www.hypercube.ca.

A complete list of winners is available at www.hypercube.ca.

To view  event images, please visit:
Toronto:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/cube_east/
Vancouver: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cube_west/
Montreal: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cube_quebec/

Did you know...

• On February 27, 2009, Nissan Canada Inc. Launched 'hypercube' - a unique social media campaign to promote the all new 2009 Nissan cube®

• The campaign was designed to reward ‘social creativity' in Canada and provide an online stage for 500 creative thinkers and talented individuals from across the country to demonstrate their social creativity and audition for a chance to win one of 50 new cubes.

• Nissan Canada worked with its creative partner Capital C in the development of Hypercube.

• Creative thinkers from across Canada got on stage with other talented individuals at hypercube.ca and engaged with the Nissan cube community on Twitter @thehypercube as well as Facebook.

• The call for entries was open to anyone who considered themselves creative, interesting or unique, including musicians, DJs, dancers, programmers, designers, bloggers, podcasters, poets, writers, storytellers and artists.

• More than 7,000 entrants registered at hypercube.ca and completed a survey, expressing why they should be selected to audition. Entrants were also encouraged to interact with the hypercube community on Twitter at www.twitter.com/thehypercube.

• Survey entries were then scored and 1,000 entrants were selected as initial finalists. From there, the top 500 scoring finalists were selected on April 15, 2009 to audition and express themselves through an online 'canvas' that illustrates their talents, skills and characteristics.

• Finalists submitted nearly 3,000 canvases that were viewed almost 1.4 million times. Finalists also created at least 500 unique videos. 

• Auditions were then evaluated by a panel of independent judges based on the following equally weighted criteria: (a) Uniqueness, (b) Creativity, (c) Personality, (d) Enthusiasm, (e) Survey Responses, (f) Peer Voting.

• Over 250,000 votes were cast for the competitors throughout the duration of the competition. 

• Since its inception, more than 117,000 unique visitors from 147 countries visited the Hypercube.ca website to participate in or learn more about the campaign.

• After months of participating in Nissan’s Hypercube initiative and auditioning for a brand new 2009 Nissan cube, 500 finalists found out their fate on June 23, 2009 as 50 Nissan cubes were awarded at events simulcast in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.

• Hypercube winners will blog about their experiences with their Nissan cube on www.hypercube.ca.

 

Nissan Canada Mobilizing the Country's Creative Thinkers Through Social Media

Calls for Entries for Auditions to Drive Away in One of 50 Nissan cubes

TORONTO — March 18, 2009 — Nissan Canada Inc. has launched 'hypercube', a unique social media campaign to promote its all new cube® vehicle. hypercube celebrates, recognizes and rewards 'social creativity' in Canada. The company behind the newest example of modern mobility is offering an online stage for 500 creative thinkers and talented individuals from across the country to demonstrate their social creativity and audition for a chance at driving away in one of 50 new cubes.

Creative thinkers across Canada can get on stage with other talented individuals at hypercube.ca and engage with the Nissan cube community on Twitter @thehypercube or Facebook.

"In the spirit of creative thinking, we are taking a new approach to launching the cube that is exclusive to the Canadian market. Rather than relying on traditional advertising models, our entire campaign is being built around social media to engage with the creative class across Canada, whose members personify the cube brand," says Jeff Parent, VP Sales and Marketing of Nissan Canada. "We will be rewarding original thinkers who are fuelling our spirit with a new car that epitomizes originality."

The call for entries is open to anyone who considers themselves creative, hip, interesting or unique, including musicians, DJs, dancers, programmers, designers, bloggers, podcasters, poets, writers, storytellers and artists.

The concept of 'social creativity' comes from Tony Chapman, a passionate promoter of creativity in Canada and CEO of Capital C, Nissan's creative partner in the hypercube campaign.

"I think the only way individuals can stand out in this crowded world is through the 'socialization of creativity' – putting their self expression, passion and creative soul out there to be evaluated, commented on and ultimately appreciated," says Chapman. "It's what Johnny Carson did for comics and Ed Sullivan did for musicians in the heyday of television, and it's what Nissan will be doing through social media for today's Net Generation. It's where brands as exciting as the cube should play the role of curator, facilitator and multiplier of the collective imagination of Canada."

hypercube details

Call for Entries:

Entrants must register on the hypercube website at hypercube.ca. They will also complete a survey, expressing why they should be selected to audition. Entrants are also encouraged to interact with the hypercube community on Twitter at www.twitter.com/thehypercube.

Auditions:

Survey entries will be scored and a maximum of 1,000 entrants will be selected as initial finalists.

The top 500 scoring finalists from amongst this group will be selected to audition. During the auditions, finalists express themselves through an online 'canvas' that illustrates their talents, skills and characteristics.

Judging:

A panel of independent judges (with input from online peer voting) will select 50 creative thinkers from across Canada to receive a 2009 Nissan cube. Auditions will be evaluated based on the following equally weighted criteria: (a) Uniqueness, (b) Creativity, (c) Personality, (d) Enthusiasm, (e) Survey Responses, (f) Peer Voting.

Key Dates:

The call for entries will close on April 8, 2009 at 12:01pm ET.
Survey entries will be scored during the week of April 8, 2009.
Auditions begin on April 15, 2009.
Auditions must be completed by May 15, 2009.
Judging will begin on or about May 20, 2009.
Recipients of the 2009 Nissan cube will be announced by mid-June 2009.

Just the Facts

• Nissan Canada launches 'hypercube', a unique social media campaign to promote its all new cube®
• The launch provides an online stage for 500 creative thinkers across Canada to demonstrate their social creativity and audition for a chance at driving away in one of 50 new cubes
• Call for entries is open to anyone who considers themselves creative, hip, interesting or unique
• Entrants must register on the hypercube website hypercube.ca and complete a survey
• Entrants are encouraged to interact with the hypercube community on Twitter and Facebook
• Survey entries will be scored and a maximum of 1,000 entrants will be selected as initial finalists
• The top 500 scoring finalists will be selected to audition
• During the auditions, finalists will be given an opportunity to express themselves through an online 'canvas' that illustrates their talents, skills and characteristics
• A panel of independent judges will select 50 creative thinkers from across Canada
• Auditions will be evaluated based on the following equally weighted criteria: (a) Uniqueness, (b) Creativity, (c) Personality, (d) Enthusiasm, (e) Survey Responses, (f) Peer Voting.

Quick Links

• Nissan cube home page: http://www.nissan.ca/vehicles/ms/cube/en/#/en/home/
• Audition FAQ: http://www.hypercube.ca/en/faq.html
• Competition Rules: http://www.hypercube.ca/en/rules_and_regs.html
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nissan-cube-Canada/40479021412
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/thehypercube

External Links

• Latest review of the all new Nissan cube: http://www.wheels.ca/reviews/article/518014
• Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_Cube

Recent Coverage

Read what others have had to say about the hypercube initiative:

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hypercube summary

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Nissan hypercube Initiative Socializes Canada's Creative Thinkers

Nissan Canada Inc. has launched 'hypercube', a unique social media campaign to promote its all new cube® vehicle. hypercube celebrates, recognizes and rewards 'social creativity' in Canada. The company behind the newest example of modern mobility is offering an online stage for 500 creative thinkers and talented individuals from across the country to demonstrate their social creativity and audition for a chance at driving away in one of 50 new cube vehicles.

From a pool of thousands of entries, 500 hypercubists will be selected to audition online (using photo, video, illustrations, etc.) and demonstrate why they should be considered members of the cube generation. A panel of judges will then select the best auditions. 50 Nissan cubes will be awarded at special events in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.

Creative people across Canada can get on stage with fellow original thinkers at hypercube.ca and engage with the Nissan cube community on Twitter @thehypercube or Facebook.

hypercube Snapshot:

• Call for entries is open to people who are creative and interesting in every way, not just in the work they do.
• 500 people from across Canada will be selected to audition for their shot at driving away in one of 50 Nissan cube vehicles (the car is launching in May 2009).
• During auditions, participants are encouraged to show their creative side.
• A panel of judges will select the best auditions.
• 50 Nissan cube vehicles will be awarded for the best auditions at events in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver in mid June.

Media Resources

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About Nissan Canada Inc.

Nissan Canada Inc. (NCI) is the Canadian sales, marketing and distribution subsidiary of Nissan Motor Limited and Nissan North America, Inc. With offices in Vancouver (BC), Mississauga (ON), and Kirkland (QC), NCI directly employs 250 full-time staff. There are 150 independent Nissan dealerships and 29 Infiniti retailers across Canada. Nissan is dedicated to improving the environment under the Nissan Green Program 2010, whose key priorities are reducing CO2 emissions, cutting other emissions and increasing recycling. More information about Nissan in Canada and the complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles can be found online at www.nissan.ca and www.infiniti.ca.