How Do You Say “Ariya”? 1,500 TikTok Creators Help Nissan

Nissan noticed that many people might not know how to pronounce “Ariya,” the name of its second EV in the US, which happens to be a roomy and upscale two-row SUV. As automakers bring new EVs to market, they need new and exciting names, though some of them are just plain weird, especially when it comes to pronunciation. Perhaps Porsche should do this for the “Taycan.”

At any rate, Nissan enlisted the help of a wealth of TikTok creators to get attention on the Ariya. The automaker named a few of the creators featured in its “#HowDoYouSayARIYA” campaign, including Tua Tagovailoa, Anna Faris, Idina Menzel, Bam Adebayo, Josh Duhamel, and QuinnXCII.

According to a recent article published by Automotive News, Nissan had to face the challenge of introducing not only its first fully electric crossover, but perhaps more importantly, its interesting name. The carmaker decided to launch a TikTok-first campaign along with a whopping 1,500 creators to get the job done.

The Ariya TikTok campaign started on January 30, 2023, and it seems to be working out quite well. Lots of people are talking about it, and the official campaign page showed over 100 million views at the time of writing.

The short YouTube video at the top of the page highlights some of the campaign’s major players. You can also follow the TikTok link at the end of the article, which will take you to the campaign page to watch many creators give it the old college try.

Basically, the “How Do You Say …” challenge allows players to pick between two different ways to pronounce a word before saying the word and tilting their heads to make their choice clear and move on. They must also make sure their video includes the #HowDoYouSayAriya hashtag. 

Nissan asked creators and influencers to submit videos of themselves playing the game before choosing some to support financially. Head of digital and social innovation for Nissan Dan Brenikov shared via Automotive News:

“Instead of you having to launch in social media with two or three really good, well-made videos that are supported by paid media, you could have literally thousands of people saying the name of your vehicle in this sort of groundswell of creators.”

“From the beginning, we knew we wanted to do something — either a stunt or something big — that would help bring the Nissan Ariya and that name into popular culture.”