The encyclopedia · Marketing & Brand · Marketing decision · 2017–2018
Nissan invented 'camelpower' — a certified metric for desert SUVs
When horsepower couldn't compare off-road SUVs, Nissan and TBWA\RAAD built a scientifically certified camel-based unit that tripled some sales.
Nissan
The solution
Gulf SUV buyers argued endlessly about off-road capability, but horsepower — the industry's universal metric — measured an engine on tarmac, not a car in sand, so no one could compare desert performance objectively.
TBWA\RAAD and Nissan engineers built 'camelpower': a dCP formula based on velocity, weight and sand friction, benchmarked against the most efficient desert animal and vetted by the Emirates Authority for Standardization & Metrology. An 11-minute National Geographic Abu Dhabi documentary, a dedicated website and university talks treated the unit as science rather than advertising.
Patrol year-on-year sales rose 97% in March and 26% in April on media spend only 17% of the prior year; Patrol Safari gained 60% and 99%, Navara 170% and 49%. Visitors spent 12.2 minutes on camelpower.ae, and exposed people were 60% more likely to believe Nissan made the best off-road SUVs. The work took two Grand Prix at Dubai Lynx 2018.
Why it worked
- It replaced an advertising claim with a measurable, third-party-certified standard, so the pitch was credible by construction.
- Treating viewers as smart — documentary, formula, university talks — made a marketing stunt feel like science worth sharing.
- Searching competitors' keywords put the new metric in front of people already comparing off-road SUVs.
What can be applied
When the category's standard unit doesn't fit your market, don't fight it with claims — invent the better unit, get it independently certified, and let the comparison do the selling.
Aftermath
Camelpower became Nissan's positioning asset and swept the region's shows — two Grand Prix, four Silvers and two Bronzes at Dubai Lynx 2018, plus honours at MENA Cristal, Cannes, Loeries and Clio. It is still cited as the case for inventing a category's missing measurement unit.
Sources
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