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TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris presents Shwii by Nissan, the first turn-by-turn set of navigation commands on the Waze app

Issued by TBWA

26 May 2021

Nissan is the sixth-largest automotive company in the world. As a multinational brand, the ability to sell and appeal to the local market is always a challenge. And in our South African market, 11 official languages adds yet another obstacle to the brand finding a local voice.

Nissan’s payoff line is ‘innovation that excites’ and they pride themselves in being an automobile manufacturer with tech at the core of its business. Nissan Intelligent Mobility by Nissan or NIM is a suite of advanced safety technology that creates a whole new way of driving that gives you the driver, confidence and peace of mind on the road. NIM allows you to keep yourself and those around you safe. Our idea, Shwii by Nissan behaves in the same way but uses language to keep you safe.

Waze, the navigation app is used by more than 800,000 South African users and 100,000 daily users, it collects user-generated data on traffic and road conditions from its active communities and immediately analyses that data to provide other Wazers with the most optimal route. It also helps users navigate their way on their journey safely, by avoiding dangers on the road.

However, you can use Waze in 98 languages locally, including Arabic, Mandarin and even a boy band. But in South Africa, we still can’t do it in our mother tongue.

Zulu (20.6% of pop.) is the most widely spoken home language in SA, but Waze uses English (6.6% of pop.) and Afrikaans (10% of pop.) as their only local options.

So while using it chances are you’re not using it in your home language. This need to translate adds another obstacle to your journey.

We hacked Waze’s ‘personal voice recorder’ feature to create our own set of commands that are suited to local drivers. The re-recorded commands use a unique form of Zulu onomatopoeia to help users identify the dangers on the road by actually hearing the danger inside every word to further reduce the chances of negative incidents on the roads.

Once our recorded commands are uploaded, Waze generates a shareable link for anyone wanting to use them on the app. A trackable QR code houses the link and social media pushes our audience to the language preference.

The shareable Shwii by Nissan file allowed the car brand to provide all South African drivers access to unique tech, by capitalising on the real-time data generated on the Waze platform.

Shwii by Nissan is an extension of what the brand stands for, by using technology.

If you’re a Wazer, try it here:

Zulu Male: https://bit.ly/3myBiGR
Female: https://bit.ly/2Rdwueo
Female slang: https://bit.ly/3t5Rp1d

We develop business-changing, culture-defining and award winning ideas for brands. Ranked in the top 3 regional networks in Africa and consistently in the top 10 global agencies.