Nissan Targets Millennials With Campus Car Sharing

Observing the old marketing adage, “hook ’em while they’re young,” Nissan is targeting the coveted millennial market through a car-sharing service on college campuses. The partnership with Enterprise CarShare brings the service to 90 university campuses in the U.S. at a discounted price and exclusively offers Nissan vehicles. The idea is that young people will rent a Nissan and then buy one once they’re financially independent.

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From now through the end of the year, the service is available on the campuses at a rate of $5 an hour on all models, for an average savings of 40 percent. Enterprise CarShare has locations in 35 states and dozens of major cities, including Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, New York and Washington, D.C.

Enterprise said research shows that car rentals can hold significant sway in consumers’ decisions to buy a certain brand, particularly among younger people.

“For example, 68 percent of millennial customers surveyed reported that they have considered purchasing a specific model of car based on renting it, and nearly one in three millennials indicated that a positive rental experience prompted them to start shopping for a new car,” Nissan said in a statement.

Nissan’s millennial-market penetration strategy woos an important demographic: the would-be car buyers of tomorrow who often eschew vehicle ownership in favor of bicycles, public transportation and other transportation options. But if, as newer trends suggest, millennials embrace driving more as the economy improves and as they reach their 30s and 40s, a pre-existing familiarity with the brand could prove beneficial.