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Nissan Brings the Force of Star Wars to Its Dealerships with Augmented Reality

Nov 29, 2017 03:18 PM

The Star Wars saga may have occurred a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, but Nissan is using a futuristic technology to bring stormtroopers and droids into its dealerships.

As part of its promotional tie-in with the upcoming Star Wars: The Last Jedi film, Nissan dealerships across the US will receive unspecified augmented reality devices that will allow shoppers to interact with characters from films. The "See the Unseen" AR experience will land in Nissan showrooms over the next few weeks, just in time for the latest installment of the classic sci-fi saga, which debuts in theaters on Dec. 15.

Nissan North America

"In our collaboration with Lucasfilm's Star Wars: The Last Jedi, we have brought 'Retail Theater' to Nissan showrooms and found exciting ways to engage customers with a new world of technology," said Jeremy Tucker, vice president of marketing for Nissan North America, in a company statement. "While the competition is focused on Santa Claus and red bows this holiday season, we are filling our dealerships with stormtroopers, virtual reality and the new augmented reality experience, making the Nissan shopping experience much more fun, engaging and educational."

Nissan North America

And the virtual characters won't be there just for show. The theatrics will be in place to help showcase the safety and driving assistance technologies of Nissan's vehicles. While the Nissan Murano, Maxima, and Titan may not be able to make the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs, the vehicles can detect pedestrians and warn drivers about blind spots.

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"Driver assist technologies can seem like fantasy to consumers and can be intimidating to those who are unfamiliar," said Tucker. "With the help of the beloved characters from Star Wars and the 'See the Unseen' augmented reality technology, we are able to explain Nissan Intelligent Mobility in a way that is relatable and fun."

From a marketing perspective, we've seen automakers use augmented reality to engage consumers, show off automobiles to potential customers, and teach car owners about their vehicles through their mobile devices. Nissan is looking to accomplish some of these same objectives while bringing customers closer to the point of purchase.

And while the promotion may at first seem like something geared toward children, in fact, according to recent reports, older adults who grew up with the original '70s sci-fi trilogy are likely to be representative of the "sweet spot" for potential car buyers of today.