Detroit Free Press - Fiat North America will debut a national ad campaign today for the Fiat 500 with the tagline "Simply More."
The campaign seeks to define the distinctive micro-car as a new icon that can be easily personalized.
An advertisement that will begin airing tonight starts with 1950s music and photos of the original Fiat 500 from that era, then quickly shifts to show a new red Fiat 500 pulling into a drive-in movie theater.
"Every once in a while, something comes along so powerful in concept, it becomes a cultural icon ... another icon has arrived," the narrator says in the commercial developed by Southfield-based advertising agency Impatto.
Another commercial shows a young man using a Mac to design his Fiat 500 to his own tastes while the car he is ordering is built on the assembly line at the company's plant in Toluca, Mexico.
"This campaign captures the perfect combination of wit and charm and is designed to engage current and potential customers," Laura Soave, head of the Fiat brand in North America, said in a statement.
Fiat has sold 4,944 Fiat 500s since it went on sale in March. Normally, automakers launch ad campaigns when a car goes on sale, but Fiat held back because it didn't have enough dealerships open at the time.
At the end of June, 93 Fiat studios were open, and a total of 130 will be open by the end of the third quarter, Fiat and Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne said Tuesday, when Chrysler announced earnings. Marchionne said sales are not below expectations.
"The problem with Fiat 500 is that it didn't have an adequate distribution network," Marchionne said.
