The Continuing Saga of the Fiat 500... hardheaded marketing

Why is it so hard for marketing people to say "Oops! That didn't work"?

We said it here first: the Fiat 500 JLO campaign is a disaster. The worse car campaign on the air today. Now, Advertising Age confirms it:

Francois Fights to Right Fiat Fiasco

New Brand Chief Admits 'Awareness Problem' but Defends J. Lo as One Way to Fix It

http://adage.com/article/news/francois-fights-fiat-fiasco/230033/

It is always embarassing to see someone getting in deeper and deeper into intellectual quicksand by defending campaigns that are undefensible.

The JLO campaign fails in several fronts at the same time:

• Doesn't show the car (even in the last scene she is dancing and singing in front of the car)
• Doesn't give you a good reason to buy the car (or even like the car)
• Is awfully acted (the dancers are spasmodic, JLO is suffering while driving the car)
• Borrowed interest... which is not so interesting after all

But basically, it just doesn't give you any reason to visit a Fiat dealership at all.

My suggestions:

1. Scrap it. You don't even have to defene anything, Mr. Francois, people don't care and won't remember
2. Show more of the car, its features and give me a reason to like it
3. Forget about the fake heritage (it was famous for being the cheapest car in Europe) and the empty phrases that sound good only to copywriters and find a real positioning that the car can pay off and that consumers will find relevant.
4. Stick with the positioning for a year or two (meaning... choose carefully)

Talk to a couple of hundred consumers before you decide, not to creative directors, copywriters and account people who only talk to each other. Talk to the people who are going to have to get a bank loan to finance the car. The people who are going to plunk down $2g's and finance $15g's for 4 years because this is the only way they'll be able to afford it.

Then you're cooking

And, along the way, why not bring out the true heritage of the Fiat 500; the cheapest family car you can buy. With the average car in America being 9 years old, I'm sure you will find 6,000 people every month who will buy it.