Remember that Fiat ad with Jennifer Lopez? The one where Jenny from the Block drove through her old Bronx neighborhood in a Fiat 500 Cabrio? Except she never actually set foot in the Bronx to film it? Yeah, that one.
Fiat's big introduction to the U.S. market didn't go over too well. And its second spot, a model-and-car deal that premiered during the Super Bowl, was unmemorable, to say the least. But it appears third time's the charm for the Italian automaker, which has finally decided to give up on the hot ladies and have a little fun.
Titled "Immigrants," the new spot from The Richards Group takes the "Coming to America" trope and applies it, quite literally, to the Fiat 500. We open with the cars tooling around some charming little seaside towns in Italy to the tune of an upbeat Italian pop song. One by one, the Fiats hurl themselves, lemming-like, over the coastal cliffs and into the ocean. After traveling underwater across the Atlantic (those Fiats must be pretty water-resistant), the cars finally pop up in New York City, just as Pitbull starts rapping about his intentions to "have some fun"—the real American Dream, natch.
"The next wave of Italians has come to America, and they're here to party," proclaims the voiceover.
It's a far cry from Fiat's first attempts to sell its cars overseas, and a welcome one. Instead of trying to market the Fiat 500 as a sexy vehicle, the company seems to have finally settled on an identity that works: the Italian spawn of a Mini Cooper and a Smart car. And while it may not be super sexy, this ad makes it look pretty fun.
CREDITS
Client – Fiat
Agency – The Richards Group, Dallas
Executive Creative Director – Stan Richards
Creative Director – David Canright/Lynda Hodge
Copywriter – David Canright
Art Director – Lynda Hodge
Agency Producer – Greg Gibson
Account Supervisor – Dave Allen
Account Manager – Cassidy Moore
Planner – Dave Snell/Warren Stepler
Director – Robert Logevall
Director of Photography – Tobias Schliessler
Editing Company – Union Editorial
Production Company – Supply and Demand
Visual Effects – The Mill
Sound Design – Stimmung (Gus Koven)
Mix: Sound Lounge (Glen Landrum)
Mix: Charlie Uniform Tango (Russell Smith)