4 Ways to Sell the Fiat 500 -- Forget the Nostalgia
Fiat is preparing its first national U.S. ad campaign for the 500 model, due to launch on July 4 -- which is not only Independence Day, but also the 54th anniversary of the tiny, cheap and cheerful original 500. Fiat seems to be determined to build its ad strategy around nostalgia for that car. Unfortunately, while the 500 is iconic in Europe, it's a complete blank slate in the U.S. There are way better Italian signifiers for American consumers. Sex still sells, doesn't it?
A big seller... in Europe
The 500, just 10 feet long and sporting a two-cylinder engine, was introduced in 1957 and stayed on the market in various iterations until 1975. (Luigi, a comic Italian character in both Cars movies, is a 500.) It was a consistent and strong seller in Europe -- with the same appeal as the Volkswagen Bug, Citroen 2CV and the Mini. But it was way too small for America, which then had 30-cent-a-gallon gas and a new network of interstates. Very few were sold here.
The TV ads aren't out yet, but some print pieces have surfaced, and one shows the new 500 next to an old one, with the tag line, "Same spirit, new expression." Truth in advertising there, because the 500 is retro styled just like the Bug and the Mini. But you can't get all gooey about a car you don't even remember, so I'd go in a different direction. Here are some thoughts:
Sell it to women. The Beetle has a customer base that's 60 percent female customers, and VW is trying to run away from that by making the redesigned car more macho. Didn't work, I'd say. Far better would be embracing that base and marketing the car as woman-friendly. A woman friend who works for General Motors, driving a Saturn, told me she had to have a Fiat 500, even though office politics dictates a GM brand. "They're just so insanely cute," she said, and she's not alone in reacting that way. Insanely cute, but practical, cheap ($15,995 for the Pop model), really fuel-efficient (30 city/38 highway) and surprisingly roomy for moving people and stuff around -- that's a good message to send.
Sell it as a sexy Italian. Replace that image of the old 500 with one of Sophia Loren or Gina Lollabrigida. Now there are some Italian nostalgia reference points! The 500 comes out of the same hot-blooded Italian design tradition as Ferrari, Alfa-Romeo and Maserati (all actually owned by Fiat). Sure it's a little econo-box, but it has Italian DNA all the way. Americans have a lot of respect for Italian design, which is why Prada, Gucci and Armani are sought after. This is entry-level Italian, with wide-open sex appeal. Sample ad: A 500 parked next to a Ferrari California, with the tag line, "Ferrari and Fiat. Don't laugh." An upcoming Abarth performance edition of the 500 should put more meat on the bones of the Fiat-is-sexy construct.
Sell open-top motoring. The 500 convertible, unveiled at the New York Auto Show, is a secret weapon -- the second-cheapest ragtop on the U.S. market (after the Smart fortwo Passion cabriolet). Priced under $20,000, the car has the potential to sell really well in the U.S., because it's a much better car than the Smart. The full-length dual-lined cloth roof (with a glass rear window) rolls back in a plain tribute to the old 500, but potential buyers don't need to know that. As Popular Mechanics puts it:
The Fiat 500 clothtop is likely to steal the hearts of California dreamers in need of a grocery-getter and a refreshed tan.That California fun-in-the-sun appeal should go into the ads, maybe with a surfboard sticking out of that unique fold-back top -- and the Beach Boys or Jan and Dean as soundtrack. There's a great precedent for runaway success with cheap ragtops, because Chrysler Sebring sold gangbusters, and that wasn't even a very good car.
Sell the price. The 500 isn't the cheapest car on the market, but it costs less than the Beetle and the Mini, the other cars with essentially the same appeal. European flair for less than the competition.
Fiat could also sell the 500 as green, because an electric model is coming, reportedly next year. The 500 has several clear paths forward, but wrapping it around a dimly remembered nostalgia car isn't one of them. There's plenty of sizzle here, and the campaigns need to capture it.
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