 Simon Sproule
Corporate Vice President of Global Communications Nissan Motor Company Tokyo, Japan
Simon Sproule is not shy about articulating or implementing his well-thought-out views on today’s new challenges in global communications. He has been an advocate at Nissan for combining two key functions: Integrated Brand Communications and Global Corporate Communications. Already he can demonstrate how the combination of the two disciplines has benefited the auto giant through greater flexibility across platforms.
Certainly, the company’s new position on Corporate Social Responsibility is an outgrowth of the merged departments. Sproule is very clear that the Nissan brand should be integrated into all CSR activities. “We make things,” says Sproule. “We do not simply give away money. This philosophy will result in a better product for the consumer. Today, every touch point with our consumer — even the charitable ones — needs to be carefully considered and every investment we make needs to be responsibly managed.” The launch of the GT-R supercar can also be sited as another benefit to combined communications departments.
The launch was carried out solely through PR, word of mouth and interactive. Such a radically different media mix was a first for Nissan anywhere in the world, and orders for the car in Japan are already sold out for next four months.
“Champion” is a description that immediately comes to mind when listening to Simon Sproule discuss his role at Nissan. “I have a passion for the company and want to tell the most compelling story. In any business, you have to strike a balance between achieving short-term profit and sales commitments and at the same time, building the image of the brand to keep the upper parts of the purchase funnel full of interested consumers. If you look at the world’s most valuable brands, they achieve a very good balance between communicating the immediate benefits of their products or services, and telling consumers why the brand or company should be trusted for the long term.”
Yet, Sproule also recognizes the challenges of global reach as Nissan sells products in over 190 of the world’s markets. “The change is now we have more of the same products being sold in multiple markets in combination with an information universe that allows consumers from one market to see everything that happens across the other side of the world. Our breakthrough over the coming years will be building more globally consistent communication platforms for vehicles but with the flexibility to have local markets adapt. This is not new for many companies, but represents a paradigm shift for Nissan.”
Simon Sproule was born and raised in the U.K. and has a Geography degree from London University, which he claims helps with his international life. He has lived in all the world’s cities that are associated with marketing or with cars: London, Detroit, New York, Los Angeles and Tokyo. Contact: s-sproule@mail.nissan.co.jp
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