The Nissan Rogue was vaulted into Star Wars' galactic hype machine last year and basked in the spectacle surrounding the fortuitously named Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
Nissan dealers, many of whom outfitted their stores with Rogue One decorations as part of the automaker's marketing alignment with Walt Disney's Lucasfilm, loved the connection to the beloved franchise. There was even a movie-themed limited-edition Rogue.
But for the latest tie-in for Star Wars: The Last Jedi, dealers had a challenge for Nissan's marketing brass: How could they spread the fervor across the Nissan lineup?
The answer was a theme inspired by the futuristic technologies in The Last Jedi.
Last year, Nissan highlighted the Rogue's safety chops. This time, it's extending the safety focus to include the Altima and Titan with five ads touting Nissan's Intelligent Mobility systems.
In the film, droids help pilots anticipate obstacles. Nissan says its mobility offerings do the same thing with emergency braking, blind-spot warning and ProPILOT Assist, which Nissan says "begins the journey towards autonomous driving."
"Our goal is bring to life our Nissan Intelligent Mobility story and to be a mainstream automotive brand," said Jeremy Tucker, vice president of marketing communications and media for Nissan North America. "Everyone loves Star Wars. When you talk about appeal, this is a great way for us to get there. It allows us to tell a story about technology that seems out of reach, or even misunderstood, in a way that people understand."