Nissan Navigates a World Where Literally Everyone's on Their Phone

Hey, Mr. Bus Driver, put that phone down and keep your eyes on the road!

Taking a familiar trend to a cinematically absurd extreme, TBWAChiatDay New York’s “World of Distractions” ad for the 2020 Nissan Rogue shows almost everyone with their face glued to a mobile device.

That includes dozens of folks walking down the street, the diners and waitstaff of a trendy bistro, kids playing in the park (and their moms), hardhats at a construction site, teens in a pickup basketball game, various drivers and—in an inspired touch—an anchorwoman seen on dozens of TV screens through an electronics-store window.

And yes, even a bus driver eyes his phone, steering one-handed. His passengers don’t notice, though, as they, too, are entranced by their handset displays.

In fact, the only folks not thusly immersed are a family of three, riding in a Rogue, which boasts safety features that protect them—and everyone else in sight—on this deliriously distracted day.

The funky pop strains of “Johny Says Stay Cool” by Aussie band The Babe Rainbow provide the soundtrack, giving the action extra dimension without distracting from the story. 

MJZ director Tom Kuntz—acclaimed master of absurdist humor for Old Spice, Duracell, Toon Blast and more—delivers an amusingly pointed and memorable Twilight Zone vision that’s instantly recognizable as a world just a few degrees removed from reality. 

That, in turn, smoothly drives the brand message. Yes, everyone’s distracted these days. Yes, that makes driving more dangerous. Lord yes, we could use some Nissan tech—any tech—to get us safely home tonight!

CREDITS

Nissan Rogue “World of Distraction”

Agency: TBWAChiatDay NY
Chief Creative Officer: Chris Beresford-Hill
Executive Creative Director: Al Merry
Creative Director / Art Director: Mike Blanch
Creative Director / Copywriter: Aste Gutiérrez
Head of Production: John Doris
Executive Producer: Christian Busch
Producer: Sarah Haroldson
Managing Director, Nissan United USA: Scott Kavanagh
SUVs Business Lead, Nissan United USA: Parker Collins
Business Manager, Nissan United USA: Natalie Otsuka
Senior Business Affairs Manager: Felicia Simmons
Business Affairs Manager: Sarah Giarraffa
Senior Strategic Planner, Nissan United USA: Melissa Panasci
Product Integration Manager: Christian Uka
Production Integration Director: Andy Galvin

Nissan USA
Vice President, Nissan Marketing Communications & Media: Allyson Witherspoon
Director, Marketing: Erich Marx
Senior Manager, Brand Marketing: Scott Traynor
Anne McGraw: Senior Planner, Marketing Communications
Jeffrey Simmons:  Senior Planner, Marketing Communications

Production Company: MJZ
Director: Tom Kuntz
Director of Photography: Darius Khondji
President: Dave Zander
Senior Executive Producer: Eriks Krumins
Producer: Emily Skinner

Edit: Whitehouse Post
Editor: Russel Icke
Assistant Editor: Alejandro Villagran
Executive Producer: Caitlin Grady
Producer: Ryan Smith
Editor (Socials): Jake Armstrong
Assistant Editor (Socials): Rachel Hamburger

Music Supervision: Walker
Executive Producer: Sara Matarazzo, Stephanie Pigott
Producer: Danielle Soury
License Track:
Johny Says Stay Cool by
The Babe Rainbow

Final Sound Mix:  Wave Studios
Sound Designer/Mix Engineer: Aaron Reynolds
Executive Producer: Vicky Ferraro
Associate Producer: Eleni Giannopoulos

Post/VFX: The Mill NY
Executive Producer: Heath Raymond
Producer: Joe Hobaica
Shoot Supervisor: Blake Druery
2D Lead Artist: Blake Druery
2D Artists: Artur Elson, Kshitij Khanna, Justin Kiel, Randy Krueger, Alexis Jo, Nasser

Line Producer: Payal Thakkar
Paint Lead: Nithin Babu
Paint artists: Anuj Bhandari, Rahul Bhardwaj, BalaChandhiran K, Akash Mishra, Sandeep Kumar Singh, Nageshwara Sunkara, Chakravarthi V
Production Coordinator: Umesh Chand

Color: The Mill
Colorist: Damien Van Der Cruyssen
Senior Producer, Color: Rochelle Brown
Color Producer: Blake Rice
Production Coordinator, Colour: Lucy Gatanis
Color Assists: David Franzo, Aaliyah Lambert, Elias Nousiopoulos, Chris Wolcott