Color Is The New Gray: Why We Stand for Fiat’s Latest Genius Campaign
When Fiat released its latest ad campaign, our team gathered around for a watch party (literally). Everyone’s talking about it, and so are we.
In case you missed it, in a daring act, Fiat stuck their CEO in a gray FIAT and dunked him into a pool of orange paint to announce they are eliminating their best-selling color—gray—from production.
According to Fiat, “The decision was made to enhance the importance of colors in life, embodying the Italian way of living and reaffirming the Brand’s New Dolce Vita value.”
Elaborate? Sure. Effective? Definitely. Here’s why we love this BOLD marketing move from Fiat.
Changing the status quo: Why Fiat’s commercial works
Effective strategy and execution
Fiat utilizes many components of a successful commercial:
It’s unique and memorable. 90% of viewers recall the brand correctly after just one viewing, according to System 1’s chief customer officer (CCO) Jon Evans.
It utilizes effective + emotional storytelling. The CEO guides you through the bustling streets of Italy, painting a picture of love and passion that has no need for the boring color gray. Images of a woman drying laundry at her balcony and a group of friends enthralled in a game of foosball are scattered in the background.
It has high production quality. No CGI here! This real stunt and stunning cityscape create a quality video that’s backed by a year of preparation.
Creative thinking + challenging societal norms
According to Adweek, breaking the single-minded advertising playbook was Fiat’s goal (because we all know consumers don’t want to see another car driving on the mountainside).
“To be memorable, distinguishing ourselves from any other ad, especially automotive ones, was not important: It was the only thing that mattered,” —Francesco Martini, ECD, Leo Burnett Italia
To make a successful car ad, Fiat knew they had to try something elaborate. But it’s not just the shock and awe that make this successful in our book, it’s the concept of breaking the mold and staying true to the values of the brand.
Fiat recognizes the trend of modernization occurring around us. Buildings and cars are all starting to look similar and humanity is losing its allure as we assimilate to a neutral, modernized culture .
By eliminating gray cars from their lineup, Fiat is actively defying trends and redefining what it can mean to be a consumer in a fast moving world. They are calling their consumers to embrace the simple moments of life through color—in their daily lives, and in their car.
Consumer-Oriented
In an over-saturated capitalist market, consumers favor brands who prioritize them over profits. Fiat is making a bold stance in favor of the consumer by eliminating their highest profiting color car from production.
With this campaign, Fiat is establishing themselves as a consumer-first brand, leading with the invitation to embody the Italian way of life.
BE BOLD: Fiat earns the “Bold Brands™” stamp of approval
Why do we love this ad? It embodies our core values: putting the consumer first, embracing bold ideas and visuals, and cultivating an authentic, human brand personality.
No more beige babies, drab colors, and futuristic monochrome palettes.
Embracing your human voice
We believe a business’s potential lies in authentic human connections and human-centered strategy. We propel companies to be their boldest, most authentic selves to connect to their audience. Fiat is accomplishing that with this campaign.
Fiat aims to connect to their audience and further their mission of “living the sweet life.” This separates themselves from other automotive brands.
Break the rules: forget boring and traditional
Our whole deal is advocating for Bold Brands™. Resist blending in and show off what makes you stand out.
That’s why we are intrigued and impressed with Fiat’s campaign: they are embracing their Italian roots and forgoing the status quo to set themselves apart.
Client-first, always
We believe in Honesty Over Ego: following what is best for the client over yourself. Fiat is abandoning what is best for themself in favor of furthering what they believe is best for their clients and the human condition. That’s why we love this.
How advertising reflects your company
Why is it important to cultivate your online personality? Because a brand’s output reflects how consumers perceive your company.
According to Hubspot, the power of brand personality helps consumers relate to brands that share the characteristics they value most.
Fiat is positioning themselves as one that values life’s simple moments, human connection and emotion, and the colorful energy of its home country, Italy.
Simply put, consumers who also identify with these themes now feel a deeper connection to Fiat, as do we.
La Dolce Vita: The Sweet Life
“The FIAT® Brand encourages all fans to squeeze all they can out of life and live every day to the utmost. We call it la dolce vita. The sweet life”—this is the mission of Fiat.
Being bold, embracing color, and thinking outside the box is how Fiat and we as an agency like to do things.
