Nissan Set as Key Sponsor for ‘Heroes’

By Jon Lafayette

Amid a quiet upfront ad season, NBC has announced a deal in which Nissan will be a key sponsor of season two of “Heroes.”

Nissan will use the hit show to push its new Nissan Rogue compact crossover. As part of the multiplatform deal, the automaker will exclusively sponsor the season-two premiere of “Heroes” with limited commercial interruptions. The Rogue will be integrated into that first episode and driven by a main character.

Online, Nissan will be the only sponsor whose ads appear when viewers watch “Heroes” online for the first 24 hours after the show airs. This is the first time NBC has provided that opportunity to an advertiser. Usually several advertisers rotate as sponsors of online content.

The Nissan Rogue also will be involved in NBC’s wireless platforms and will sponsor the Heroes 360 WAP sites. In addition, the Nissan Rogue campaign includes sponsorship of a “Heroes” music video and the season-one DVD release.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Last year, Nissan was involved in a large promotion campaign for “Heroes” and it sponsored the premiere.

“Nissan is constantly searching for opportunities to build extensive advertising partnerships that allow us to engage consumers by building brand awareness on many platforms,” said Steve Kerho, director of interactive media, Nissan North America.

“We’re committed to doing business with our clients in ways that extend beyond the 30-second spot and are thrilled to join forces again with Nissan to build on our successful season-one partnership,” said Mike Pilot, president of NBC Universal ad sales. “This deal exemplifies the concept of having an ‘upstream relationship’ with our clients and shows just what can be achieved when the clients and creative teams come together early in the process.”

The deal was handled by ad buyer OMD, but it is not clear that NBC has finished its upfront dealing with the agency.

(Editor: Horowitz)