TOKYO – Nissan has teamed up with TBWA\HAKUHODO Japan to launch a public safety campaign – ‘Knock Knock Cats.’
Safety is a top priority for the automotive industry, with the number of accidents consistently reduced year on year. Yet, there are still many tragic car-related deaths each year, not least of all, those of cats.
Cats love to squeeze into small warm spaces and often hide under the heated hoods of cars during cold weather. Unnoticed cats can suffer grave injury or even be killed when drivers start their cars, but the awareness of these all-too-common tragedies are very low.
Therefore, Nissan launched the ‘Knock Knock Cats’ campaign to remind drivers to simply knock on the car hood before entering their vehicles, to make the world a safer place for our four-legged friends. This small precautionary action can save many precious lives.
While the concept itself is simple, by using an adorable film with an appealing name, the campaign proved hugely popular on social media, becoming an instant phenomenon. #KnockKnockCats (#猫バンバン) was a hit with Japanese cat-lovers, who have created their own stickers, posters, Illustrations, manga, game apps and even songs and dances to show their support.
Beyond Japan, other global Nissan offices adopted the logo to show their support for the cause, and even rival car manufactures joined in to show their support through social media. So far, the campaign has over five million views on social media including YouTube and Facebook, successfully raising awareness of the problem and helping to save the lives of many cats in Japan.
