Marketing and the Nissan Pino

Wow!  Talk about knowing your consumer.  Nissan introduced a new mini in Japan, the Pino, which is incredibly popular with young females.  They have taken an approach I haven't seen in the U.S., which includes a website that looks like it could be for Barbie, complete with Barbie-like accessories.  The result of their marketing is that while the Pino frame is based on the Suzuki Alto, sales for the Pino have exceeded forecasts by 15% -- and the Pino costs  23% more than the comparable Alto ("Hits & Misses", David Jacobson.  Business 2.0.  Aug 2007, Vol. 8, Iss. 7; p. 106).

If Nissan sold a virtual Pino,  my avatar in her ALA READ t-shirt would look cute in one!  The look and feel seem very similar.