I couldn’t stop but read these continuous bashing articles on Nissan Micra Australia for their so called “rigged,” Micraspotting social media promotion. The promotion entailed all and ANY fans to participate in locating hidden photos of the Nissan Micra cars that the company placed over Australian fashion houses, bars, boutiques and entertainment venues.  During the event, clues were posted on Facebook each day and the person to spot the most Micra photos each week was rewarded a $1250 voucher and the overall winner won a free Nissan Micra.

Zac Martin was the top winner and won the free Nissan Micra while Nina Igel won the voucher for $1250. Both people happened to be friends on Facebook with the Nissan’s customer experience channel co-ordinator, Simon Oboler, who takes care of all the social media accounts. On top of that, Zac Martin wrote a blog in December of 2008 where he mentioned Simon Oboler as his “BFF.”

Nissan, like any company, feared bad talk so during the announcement of the winner it was upfront about who Martin was, saying “with all honesty and the best of intentions, we wish you hadn’t won”.

Nissan went on to declare that Martin is a friend of a Nissan staffer who worked on the competition. “The reality is that he won fair and square and all is fully above board,” Nissan said, adding it couldn’t stop friends and acquaintances from entering.

Faceboook fans did not like this much nor believed Nissan that Zac won the grand prize fair and square…they were convinced that the promotion Nissan Micra Australia was
offering, had been rigged, so his friend would win. People on Facebook were
even saying things as far as “I will NEVER buy any car made by Nissan now. This
is deplorable!,” Why? Was it really necessary to go as far as saying something like
that based on assumptions of some so called “rigged” promotion?

A marketing company not wanting to be mentioned, said that the way the competition was set up meant it was not possible for it to be rigged. Whoever spotted the most
Micras won – and there was no subjective decision made. It is as simple as
that! The marketing source also mentioned “There was a database that chose
him as the correct winner because he engaged the most fully in the competition.”

I wanted to put my two cents into all this negative publicity that has been going on with Nissan Micra Australia as I see it in another way.  As a growing internet marketer and an individual who interacts through social media for a dealership, I feel that it wasn’t a “rigged,” promotion as it would be difficult to cheat this type of promotion. A.) All
fans, of the Facebook page were all given clues to these photo’s posted throughout
Australia’s territory. B.) All fans had the same time limit to complete the competition
if you were on board right away or came into the game later. The offer was
standing fair across the board. C.) It was not specified that friends or family
members of Nissan employees were not able to participate in the promotion and
if it was set that way…would it be fair that you couldn’t participate just because
you’re a friend or family member of someone who worked at Nissan? D.) The
winners of this promotion was not up to Simon, it was up to the participants
and their level of involvement!

Through my social media experience for the dealership I find some of my most interactive fans are people I know. It may not help that I go to school for automotive marketing and most of the people I know are motor heads or involved in the industry but the interaction is there with the people that know me best. That is what social
media is about, building relationships the only difference here is the relationship
was well established before the promotion happened. Not to mention, as a social
marketer we tend to spread the news of anything through all types of sources
including our own social media accounts like Facebook and Twitter.

I am not really on anyone’s side and I cannot sit here and say it was or wasn’t rigged, all I am trying to establish is the perspective of a social marketer. All my friends
know what I do for a living and if they find something interesting through our
social media, they participate. I don’t tell them too, but if they want to participate
in say our current promotion of winning a free oil change, they are more than
welcomed too! Anyone is welcomed to participate!

I hope I helped give some insight for this current issue that Nissan Micra Australia is having as it shouldn’t be a reason for Australians to bash Nissan or say they will never
buy another product because it has nothing to do with the company as a whole
nor their products, it’s a small group of people. If we were 10 years back, no
one would ever know who the winner of this contest would be, and it wouldn’t
bother anyone but thanks to social media and the internet today, everyone knows
everything.

In the mean time, why don’t you enter to win a free oil change from Newmarket Infiniti Nissan.

http://www.facebook.com/Newmarket.Infiniti.Nissan#!/Newmarket.Infiniti.Nissan?sk=app_148699888522597