Analysis of Fiat’s brand

1. Meaning of Fiat’s brand

Fiat brand is famous for its compact sized cars, that are economical yet innovative. Ranging around 20,000 Euro, these cars have always been targeted towards young and modern professionals.

Price positioning of Fiat’s car models

Fiat Bravo’s advertising is often associated with promoting 

• strong Italian heritage
• its enhanced economic value
• its compactness

The Fiat 500 advertising website online is also designed specifically towards the youthful market, where it encourages people to … …

“CREATE YOUR OWN DESIGNS”

Personalisation advertising approach of Fiat 500 on its website

In comparison with its other car brands within Fiat S.p.a, the Fiat brand distinguishes itself amongst its other brands like Lancia, Alfa Romeo, Maserati and Ferrari – which are aimed towards the more executive market.

Competitive analysis of brands within Fiat

That is why Fiat recently bought over other car brands like Opel, to further expand its current economic car market share in this current economic crisis. Outside of Fiat S.p.a, Fiat’s closest competitor would be Seat Altea, where its design and price range competes very closely with Fiat Bravo.

Fiat’s recent takeover of Opel and Chrysler helped expand its economic car market range

2. Purpose of the ad

From studying Fiat’s promotion dealer magazines, it was observed that Fiat has been investing into software technology called Eco-drive that can help to make their cars more sustainable to use. So we do see that Fiat brand is aiming to be more sustainable and expanding its brand towards small families, with the aim of learning how to decrease fuel consumption. This is an innovative and cost saving strategy for Fiat to go sustainable without too much cost towards changing their car platforms to hybrid models.

Software interface of Fiat’s “eco-drive” program teaches a person how to save on fuel

Therefore, with this eco-technology that they just invented in recent years, we hope to advertise Fiat brand as being green, emphasizing the economical and the environmental benefits.

3. Target group relation to brand

From the Hofstede model, we found certain attributes of Dutch people that might help us define our target market as shown below:

Hofstefe dimensions of Netherlands

1. Low MAS – Everyone is involved in the decision process of buying a car. 
2. High LTO – There is looked at the long-term benefits when buying a car

Therefore, the values of the FIAT BRAVO that can appeal to can be:

a. Compactness

b. Affordability

c. Easy to park, easy to drive

d. Sustainable innovation

e. Beautiful

 

4. Proposition

So our proposition is to create a transformation approach by promoting the eco-friendliness of Fiat Bravo. Our aim is to educate the market more about the Eco-Drive program, which helps customers to save money.

Therefore, the core of the ad would be on:

-          Buy the car because it is economical, innovative and eco-friendly

The personalisation approach of the Eco-drive program in Fiat Bravo will also be emphasized, to show how one’s personal driving skills can be uniquely assessed by software instead of physical alterations to the car. So this brings about a more personal focus.

Showing the eco-personalisation focus of Eco-drive

 

 

Design your FIAT 500 within minutes!!

What has been a very unique interesting advertising strategy about Fiat 500′s Dutch website compared to other car websites is that it allows you to customise your dream Fiat500 very interactively. Greeted with the slogan “Fiat 500″, you will feel very important as you enter the website, with the Italian hip music that says ” Cinquecento wants you” ( which means 500 in Italian).  

In the website, there are many different web features that allow you to  design a Fiat500 in your own colours, tyre rims, patterns, and it also boasts of many Fiat 500 competitions that encourages anyone to just share what about how he feels about Fiat. Well, even if you don’t own a Fiat, you will feel tempted to do something inside – let your voice be heard, design a car, or put your photo inside about Fiat 500. No wonder Fiat 500 has been award-winning.

To me personally, it is not just the car design that has attracted me, but it is advertising website of creativity to let myself be heard that actually seduced me…thus inspiring me to design the car below!!!

 

This design your car website has an intuitive menu that aloows you to design your cars in a wide variety. Here's mine and I call it " The Bronx".

 

Dealership visit

Some days ago our group visited a FIAT dealership in Delft, to see the Fiat Bravo in real life and get a good feel of the car we are going to design an advertisement for. The dealership we visited was Preuninger, located at the Mercuriusweg in Delft. Both FIAT and Alfa Romeo are represented in this dealership. 

It seems the dealership was a bit short on space, as all cars inside where parked relatively close to each other. Therefore, it was difficult to have a good look at the Bravo inside the dealership. However, one was parked in front;

We received many brochures from the staff, which give us a good view on what the current advertisement style of the Bravo in the Netherlands is. In the car’s brochure, focus is laid upon sportiness and style. The brochure is printed on high-quality glossy paper, with the FIAT-logo and the Bravo-name on the front. Throughout the brochure, the car and details of it are portrayed, always in a stylish background. However these backgrounds do not portray the car in everyday usage, like on marble floors, large cable-stayed bridges,… Next to the images, there is always an excerpt from a dictionary, linking a word to the car, like “beautiful”, “elegant” and “powerful”. The last page of the brochure is can be folded out, and displays the different colours and different options available for the car.

Conclusion is that the brochure does not focus upon the family and money-saving aspects of the car (5 doors, fuel-efficiency,…), but on its looks and sportiness. The brochure is very emotional, not rational. Given the current economic climate and the growing environmental consciousness, in which price and fuel-efficiency are of prime importance, we think this could be done in a better way. 

 

The MEN behind Fiat’s success

The merger of these 3 brands currently make Fiat S.p.a the 2nd largest car maker

Looking back the history of Fiat, it is amazing to see how Fiat S.p.a  had emerged from being in debt for decades of years till now emerging victorious with many car takeovers on Opel, Chrysler and possibly Saab during this economic downturn – therefore becoming the 2^nd largest car-maker just behind Toyota.

This is highly accredited to the man who headed the team - Sergio Marchionne, who has impressed investors since taking over as CEO in June, 2004.  Marchionne, together with Fiat Group Chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, returned Fiat’s automobile division (Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A.) to profitability in 2006.Together, they have been widely credited with the turnaround of the group into one of the fastest growing companies in the auto industry.

Luca Cordero di Montezemolo (left) and Sergio Marchionne (right) brought success to Fiat with the re-birth of Fiat 500

It was because of Marchionne that the Fiat 500 car series was revived, along with the birth of Fiat Punto, and of course Fiat Bravo. These car models thus cemented the success of Fiat, bringing the company out of its debts.

 

Fiat eco:Drive

Fiat has introduced the eco:Drive system in a light and likable way; combining the voice of a friendly gentleman, jolly music, flash animations and cute characters. Presenting eco:Drive in this manner will appeal to children as well, which will reap its benefits in the future. The online Ecoville community resembles a South Park environment (but non-violent) and approaches the social networking trend that is currently blooming.

 

FIAT-Opel

Lately, FIAT has been in the headlines quite often, as they have been buying themselves into the European business of General Motors (GM), and therefore are taking over the German manufacturer Opel and the British manufacturer Vauxhall. Furthermore, there are also talks on taking over the Swedish manfacturer Saab. If these mergers proceed, FIAT would become the 2nd biggest automobile manufacturer in the world, after Toyota. It is truly remarkable how FIAT transformed itself from a company fighting brankrupcy some years ago and only coming out of the red recently (2008), into a company acquiring other brands themselves…

We wonder how these mergers affect ones brand image, and so we would like to ask you; Does the merger between FIAT and Opel affect your brand image of one of the two brands? Please cast your votes in the poll below:

 

In cooperation with Microsoft, FIAT developed eco:drive, a system intended to analyse your driving style, and give you tips on how to drive in a more environmentally friendly way (a steady speed, choosing a higher gear,…).
The following movie demonstrates how the system works;

 

Fiat Bravo advertisements

Here are some advertisements for the Fiat Bravo;

In these advertisements, it can be clearly seen that FIAT adapts its ads to the market they are intended for.

The first ad is from Italy, and is fully based on emotions, with an emotional song where the Fiat Bravo is portrayed as a loved one being born.

The second ad comes from Germany, and shows Michael Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen driving the car, where their professionalism as F1-pilots is being used to portray the car as the “choice of a professional”. 

The following is from the Netherlands, and uses humour, where a cow expresses her interest in the Fiat Bravo as it passes by. 

And lastly, the following ad from Great Britain;

 

Seeing these ads, it is clear that FIAT adapts its ads to the country they are aimed to. Strong emotions and focus on the exterior design for Italy, and engineering-focussed and professional for Germany. Also the Dutch one is quite stereotypical, with a cow in a field and the use of slapstick humour. The only ad not well-adapted to the country is the last one, where a left-hand drive car is shown in an ad aimed to the British market.