Nissan is not afraid to give credit where credit is due.
As the Japanese automaker looks to stake out a bigger claim to the pickup truck market with its super-sized new Titan XD model, it's taking the unusual step of tipping a hat to its more established, dominant American rivals in its advertising.
In a dramatic new 90-second commercial spot called "Shoulders of Giants" that debuted during the National Football Championship on Monday night, Nissan seems to admit that its new truck would not be possible without the ground already broken by Detroit's Big Three.
"To those who go before us -- Chevy, Ford, Dodge. Thank you," the narrator says over shots of one particularly innovative model from each brand. "We see the way forward."
That homage follows an emotional montage of caring parents, heroic firefighters and an impassioned football coach motivating a player -- all ostensibly meant as analogies of Nissan's relationship with its competitors.
Of course, there's a competitive edge to the ad as well. You don't figuratively stand on the shoulders of giants -- a reference of course to an iconic quote made famous by Isaac Newton -- unless you intend to surpass what they've done, and Nissan seems to be positioning its new Titan XD as the next big breakthrough that will render the best models of each of the American manufacturers things of the past.
But Nissan insists that the shoutout was not a backhanded compliment -- though it's up to the viewers to ultimately decide -- and that it was legitimately attempting to pay respects to fellow auto brands.
The fact that Nissan is lining its trucks up against Detroit's is ambitious in its own right. The Big Three have long locked down the U.S. market for pickups and Nissan currently only sports a one-percent sliver of a share.