Immigration: The New 'Wave' of Fiat Cars to America

Much like the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria did in 1492, the new wave of Fiat automobiles are making their way across the "ocean blue." The relatively new and small, yet "sporty" Italian cars are a product of the Chrysler Group. Fiats have been sold in the United States since March of 2011, but they are just now starting to make headlines due to a sex-driven commercial that was aired during the Super Bowl this past February. Since then there have been a few new commercials that have been aired, which use stars such as Charlie Sheen and Jennifer Lopez, and the most recent one that carries the theme of "immigration" as it pertains to these Italian-born cars making their way into the American markets. Here is the new commercial that the Richards Group from Dallas created for Fiat titled, "Immigrants."

The message that Fiat is trying to send is very clear:  "The next wave of Italians has come to America, and they've come to party." This commercial is the first one that showcases all three of the Fiat 500s that are available in the American market. Looking at the already exising "small" cars that are available, the Fiat is attempting to enter an exensive and established market here in the states. With competing cars such as the Mini Cooper, Honda Fit, or the new VW Beetle, the Fiats will need to find the segment that has not yet been captured by these existing alternatives.

The fact that the commercial verbally states that the Fiats are here to "party" shows that they are targeting the young, outgoing, risk-taking, and adventurous population. While cars like the Honda Fit and other small, energy-conscious cars on the market reach out to the environmental or "green" segment, the Fiats want their owners to rage and have a good time while behind the wheel. Fiat wants to firmly inject the Italian culture into the veins of American car buyers, especially those who are city dwellers and who want to feel sporty, practical, and who want value for their money. I think that Fiat has been bold with their string of commercials containing sex appeal and celebrities, but Fiat must be careful about what their commercials are really trying to relay to the consumers. Do the people that are not familiar with the Fiat brand going to purchase one simply because of its unique and somewhat seductive advertisements, or are they more concerned with performance and specifications of the car itself? This is the type of question that Fiat must investigate so that they keep a consistent brand image and do not lose customers because they are confused about what benefits that Fiat can provide them. Hopefully Fiat figures this out so that their "party" can rage on and tear the roof off of the American small car market.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/16/business/media/fiat-500-ads-portray-italian-cars-in-immigration-wave.html