Nissan celebrates the everyday artisans who make Japan happen

JAPAN - Nissan aims connect with skilled manual workers through an initiative with TBWA Hakuhodo to showcase the impressive everyday feats of labour and engineering that go unnoticed.

The carmaker defines this group as ‘Caravanists’. No, they’re not the annoying people who drive at 20 mph in the middle of the road. They’re the master craftspeople of Japan who are known to use Nissan’s NV350 ‘Caravan’—essentially a utility van—in their daily work.

The campaign includes a short film showing 11 hardworking professionals going about their daily business. While we tend to take the work of people like window cleaners for granted, the video reminds us that it is by no means easy and can sometimes be quite poetic. It's been well-received, so far clocking more than a million views on YouTube.

The video is supported by a website that goes into more detail on these people’s individual stories. It invites more workers to get in touch for interviews. While the work is of course ultimately aimed at selling vehicles, Nissan says it also hopes to play a role in making the construction industry more attractive to a new generation.

Campaign’s view: Giving a platform to Japan’s unsung heroes can only be a good thing. The ‘Caravanists’ (whether they drive an NV350 or not) take their work very seriously and while they don’t ask for recognition, they definitely deserve it for making the country function as smoothly as it does. Conducting ongoing interviews is also a good way to engage the community and ensure the campaign lives on for a longer period than it would if this whole exercise were just a straightforward video.