BrandChannel
recently published an
article on Fiat’s new positioning strategy and advertising campaign. It seems like the complexities of the
automobile industry have given the marketer a bit of an identity crisis – it
can’t seem to decide whether it is “imported from Detroit” or from Italy.
Back in the day when Chrysler was on the verge of bankruptcy
– in 2009 to be exact – Italian car maker Fiat, along with the U.S. government
stepped in to take ownership and save the day. It was under Fiat’s watch that Chrysler launched its
“Imported from Detroit” campaign, in grand fashion at the 2011 Super Bowl.
Today, Fiat is once again appealing to the “roots” of its
cars. This time the Italian roots
of its flagship Fiat brand.
What Fiat is banking on – whether through its Chrysler
division or flagship brand – is that the old school theory of the “country of
origin effect” (COE) still resonates in the new school automobile market of
2012. Back in the day – especially
the 1970’s and 1980’s – brands could play on our national pride and encourage
us to “Buy American” when Japanese carmakers started to make serious inroads in
our domestic market. The economy
was good. The patriotic appeal
worked.
2012 is a whole new animal. The economy is slumping – longer and harder than any
economist expected. The number of
unemployed remains shockingly high, and new jobs are being created, but at a
snail’s pace. Given this reality –
does country of origin even matter anymore? Given that American manufacturers GM & Ford topped the
list for market share of cars and light trucks in America in 2011, it is hard
to tell. Japanese car maker Toyota
ranked 3rd.
Still, is buying dependent on the nationality of the brand,
or some other factor that provides value on a more personal level?
While nationality is something that is intangible and
subjective, Fiat has a very compelling point of difference – that of size –
which can be leveraged in the market place. I don’t understand why the brand isn’t capitalizing on
this. Plunkett’s Industry Research confirms
that car buyers are looking for smaller, more fuel efficient cars that save
them money at the gas pump. Add to
that benefits of eco-friendly (less gas, less emission) and greater
“park-ability,” and Fiat would have something far more concrete and valuable upon
which to hitch its star.
Granted, the new spot is playful, and fun to watch. But are American's really looking for a car that has "come to party?"
The old joke, which questioned the quality of Fiat, was that
the brand name was actually an acronym – FIAT – standing for “Fix It Again,
Tony.” It seems like Tony should go back to the drawing board with his MARCOM
strategy, and fix it, again…
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