Passionately Italian Fiat 500
FIAT 500 owners have an emotional attachment to their retro-chic styled Italian vehicles, that not many car models can equal. Its free-spirited, ultra-cool ‘La Dolce Vita’ image has captured the hearts of many.
As can probably be expected, Fiat 500 commercials are more about, image, impulsive reactions, and emotions, and less about Teutonic rationality in highlighting technical selling features, and the generally unstereeotypical nature of FIAT 500’s advertising, makes for much viewing enjoyment and brand appeal.
1. FIAT 500e, Armani Ovation
Advertising Agency: 777, Paris, France, and Turin, Italy
Executive Creative Director: Andrea Stillacci
Creative Director: Raffaele Balducci
Creative Team: Federico Albanese, Marta Foli, and Thomas Marino
Production Company: Buddy Film, Milan, Italy
Director of Photography: Marcello Dapporto
(To undertake creative assignments for multinational automotive manufacturing company Stellantis, Armando Testa, and Herezie, the two most successful independent agencies in Italy and France, formed a new communication agency in February this year, named after the 777 kilometres between the centre of Paris and Turin)
Superbly directed by filmmaker Federico Brugia, 777 Agency’s, FIAT 500e, Giorgio Armani Collector’s Edition scenario, starting at the Armani Hotel Milano, continuing down empty city streets at night, and ending up in Milan’s upscale shopping street, Via Montenapoleone, Europe’s most expensive street and the second most expensive street in the world after Fifth Avenue in New York City, plays out to a soundtrack of “Città Vuota”, the Italian version of American singer-songwriter Gene McDaniels’ “It’s a Lonely Town”.
2. FIAT 500e Abarth, The Confession
Advertising Agency: Migrante, Los Angeles, California, USA
Executive Creative Director: Leonardo Ricagni
Production Company: Buddy Film, Milan, Italy
Director of Photography: Paolo Caimi
Directed by Migrante agency’s Creative Director and filmmaker Leonardo Ricagni, ‘The Confession’ commercial, filmed in Rome, is an amusing parody of a parishioner, who in his craven desire for ‘electrifying’ driving experiences, seeks absolution from being converted by the FIAT 500e Abarth’s seductive power.
3. FIAT 500e, Barista
Advertising Agency: Migrante, Los Angeles, California, USA
Executive Creative Director: Leonardo Ricagni
Production Company: FargoFilm, Torino, Italy
Sound Design and Music Studios: Red Rose, Milan, Italy
I admire the brand affinity proposition of the Migrante agency’s ’Barista’ film-scenario, that the all-electric, rose-gold FIAT 500, has been designed to align with the changing habits and requirements of FIAT drivers, whilst remaining true to their unchanging tastes.
Directed by esteemed filmmaker Federico Brugia, the scenario was brought to life by a great cast, in a superbly produced and edited commercial, of compelling, slow motion scenes, and a glorious ‘sound of silence’ moment.
4. Fiat 500S, Tested
Advertising Agency: Leo Burnett, Turin, Italy
Group Creative Director: Davide Boscacci
Production Company: Enormous Films, Milan, Italy
Director of Photography: Pedro del Rey
Production Services Company: Vivi Film, Barcelona, Spain
Directed by filmmaker Nicolas Caicoya, the ‘What Bad Boys Drive’ has proven to be a popular and successful theme for the Fiat’s 500 turbocharged S model with its more ‘muscular’ performance and predominantly masculine appeal.
5. FIAT 500X, Blue Pill
Advertising Agency: The Richards Group, Dallas, Texas, USA
Creative Director/Art Director: Lynda Hodge
Creative Director/Copywriter: David Canright
Production Company: Filmmaster, Milan, Italy
Albeit some controversy, The Richards Group agency’s 2015, Super Bowl FIAT 500X commercial, seen by an estimated big game audience of 120,8 million viewers, was generally widely acclaimed for its comical audacity, and absurdly entertaining ‘Viagra’ analogy.
Filmed in Pitigliano Tuscany, Italy, the agency’s bold film-scenario, of frivolous passion, brought to life by filmmaker Antony Hoffman’s superb directing skills, amusingly suggests that the bigger, more powerful and ready for action, cross-over 2016 Fiat 500X, is like having a ‘blue pill in your tank’.
6. Fiat 500L, The Stork
Advertising Agency: Leo Burnett, Turin, Italy
Executive Creative Directors: Francesco Bozza, and Alessandro Antonini
Group Creative Director: Davide Boscacci
Creative Director: Valerio Le Moli
Copywriter: Massimo Paternoster
Art Directors: Giulio Frittaion, and Giorgio Fresi
Production Company: Mercurio Cinematografica, Milan, Italy
Post Production Studios: MPC, London, UK
Leo Burnett Turin agency’s 2017, charming, smile inducing ‘Stork’ commercial, directed by renowned filmmaker Xavier Mairesse, introduced Fiat’s 500L family-focused, ‘Baby Limousine’ for the next generation.
The amusing scenario about a caring, baby-delivering stork’s thoughtful change of mind, features a resonant soundtrack of the Carpenter’s 1970 hit single “Close To You”.
7. Fiat 500L, The Motherhood Rap
Advertising Agency: Krow, London, UK
Creative Director: Nick Hastings
Production Company: Rubber Republic Collective, Bristol, UK
Director of Photography: Ben Todd
The Krow agency in 2013, introduced young mothers in the United Kingdom to FIAT 500’s Italian passion, with a shareable online video, directed by filmmaker Matt Golding with great panache and style, featuring a highly entertaining rap parody of modern day Mum’s challenging everyday family life, that motivated over 3 million views on YouTube within a matter of hours.
8. FIAT 500, Immigrants
Advertising Agency: The Richards Group, Dallas, Texas, USA
Creative Director/Art Director: Lynda Hodge
Creative Director/ Copywriter: David Canright
Production Company: Supply&Demand, Los Angeles, California, USA
Director of Photography: Tobias Schliessler
Production Services Company: Some of Us, Milan, Italy
Post Production and VFX Design Studios: The Mill, Los Angeles, California, USA
The Richards Group agency’s, 2012 FIAT 500 film-scenario of ‘The next wave of Italians to come to America’, was brought to cinematic life by esteemed filmmaker and director Robert Logevall.
Beginning in Sorrento and Positano on Italy’s scenic Amalfi Coast, and ending in Brooklyn New York’s Manhattan bridges neighbourhoods surrounding Manhattan Square Park, the spectacular FIAT 500 ‘Emigrants’ commercial, plays out to a soundtrack featuring a version of “Torna a Surriento,” or “Come Back to Sorrento,” by Italian singer Arianna Martina Bergamaschi, and American rapper Pitbull.