Nissan Canada Crunches Evil Snowmen in ‘Conquer All Conditions’ Revival

Eleven years after the launch of record-breaking creative ‘Conquer All Conditions’, Nissan Canada Inc. has brought back this iconic campaign with a modern twist.

Created by TBWA\Canada, and executed in partnership with Critical Mass and OMD, this reimagined work features the all-new Nissan KICKS, launching nationally across a fully-integrated 360-degree ecosystem.

On set in Toronto, LBB saw how the team translated a familiar Canadian reality into something sharper and more cinematic. Intended to tell a story rooted in a distinctly Canadian insight – that winter driving anxiety is universal – according to Nissan’s director, dealer network, electrification and corporate strategy Brent Smith, this endeavour is designed to help the brand stand out in a crowded market.

“Canadians don’t just experience winter, they endure it,” he says. “This campaign taps into a shared cultural truth and brings it to life in a way that’s entertaining, unmistakably Canadian, and grounded in real capability. The all-new Nissan KICKS proves you don’t have to compromise confidence for affordability.”

This successor to the original 2015 campaign releases at a critical moment for the category. Not only does the company’s research show that consumers “perceive little distinction between vehicle brands, with misattribution reaching as high as 33%”, but the decade-later rollout reflects the insight that the average age of vehicles on Canadian roads has reached 10 years. As such, the team at TBWA\Canada felt that now was the ideal time to reintroduce a seasonally-relevant, confidence-building campaign to drivers looking at upgrading.

“This idea earned its place back in culture,” explains creative director Mario Maiato. “The original campaign became iconic because it dramatised winter in a way only Canadians truly understand. This time, we modernised the story, both creatively and technologically, to reflect how people live, drive, and connect today.”

While the decision to depict a lone driver taking on snowy creatures with spectacular driving skills was inherently fun, essential to both the brand and agency was ensuring the work struck the right balance between paying homage to the original ‘Conquer All Conditions’, and feeling fresh.

For this reason, the team drew inspiration from post-apocalyptic cinema, tapping into Nissan’s legacy of using snowmen as a villain and classic tongue-in-cheek tone, while updating the aesthetic and design from the original version.

“The snowmen aren’t just characters; they’re a metaphor for winter itself,” adds chief creative officer Adam Reeves. “They represent chaos, unpredictability, and everything Canadians brace for every year. The KICKS doesn’t flinch – it conquers.”

The creative also placed an emphasis on showcasing the car’s latest features, from intelligent AWD with ‘Snow Mode’, to Apple CarPlay connectivity, and comforts including a heated steering wheel. Something that was never overlooked during the three-day shoot in Toronto’s financial district, even the smallest details like ensuring a seatbelt was visible were of the utmost importance to TBWA and Steam Films director Markus Walter.

“The most awe-inspiring part was witnessing the art department's work in real time – watching them methodically transform the city into a winter storm,” Mario recalls. “It was one thing to see it in storyboards; it was another entirely to stand in the middle of a Toronto street corner that had been completely reimagined as a post-apocalyptic winter wasteland.

“On top of that, Markus brought a clear vision to ground every character in reality, through in-camera capture rather than rely solely on post-production magic. We were also compelled by his approach of treating the city as an action-packed obstacle course rather than a static backdrop.”

Nevertheless, the efforts of both The Embassy and Studio Feather were imperative in bringing the final spot to life. With the former coming aboard early to develop hand-drawn character sketches – thereby establishing each of the snowmen’s distinct personalities and forms – this enabled a quick evolution to 3D models, ensuring each character in the final spot felt grounded and real.

“The real magic happened when we focused on movement and the interaction with the Nissan KICKS,” says Mario. “We worked meticulously on how the snowmen moved through the environments we'd shot. It wasn't just about dropping digital characters into footage; it was about making them feel like they belonged in our chaotic world.”

The 2026 version of ‘Conquer All Conditions’ will run until March 31st, featuring unique assets beyond traditional media, such as a personalised digital experiences on the Nissan.ca website. An offering which tailors ‘Snow Mode’ content to each visitor’s geographic location – demonstrating how the Nissan KICKS would perform in relevant winter conditions – for Mario, it’s the all-encompassing nature of this revived work which he and the agency are especially fond of.

“What I'm most proud of is the true collaboration between everyone who touched this campaign,” he concludes. “From our clients, to the director, to the VFX team, to production design, everyone was genuinely motivated to do their best work. That collective energy is evident in every frame.”