# @sterling_voth on Instagram

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DcHi94_D1QE
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/69128956-sterling-voth-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/2eed7a886b.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-08-16T22:34:31.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Sterling Voth (@Sterling_Voth) — https://gondola.cc/Sterling_Voth

## Caption

A stolen RC car, a Barbie cameo, and a Van Halen soundtrack walked into a Nissan ad.
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It won commercial of the year.
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Check this out:
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In 1996, Nissan dropped a stop-motion spot for the 300ZX.
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The concept: an action figure steals an RC 300ZX and drives across the house to visit Barbie.
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They set it to Van Halen's "You Really Got Me."
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It sounds like a silly concept right?
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Well, it won Commercial of the Year nods from Time, Rolling Stone, USA Today, and Car and Driver.
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The only silly part about it was that Mattel sued Nissan over the Barbie and Ken likenesses, which ended up being free press that kept the ad buzzing for months.
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Nissan topped recall charts for 90s auto ads.
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Notice how the real product isn't even featured?
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Nissan let pop culture and nostalgia do the heavy lifting.
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Here's what that teaches us:
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When your audience connects with your product through something they already love, the spec sheet becomes irrelevant.

## Stats

- **Views:** 7,698
- **Likes:** 418
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 1

## Credits

| Name | Username | Profile | Role |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Sterling Voth | @Sterling_Voth | https://gondola.cc/Sterling_Voth | Director of Photography |

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