General 500 USA launch branded a failure

[RobinPJ]

Meh. What a bunch of t watches!

Anyway. Everyone knows Toyotas are the truck of choice for terrorists and the forces of evil.

Are you including that nice Mr Clarkson in that?

 

[JTD_Liam]

Im also at abit of a loss as to why J-Lo is considered such a disaster in terms of the advertising campaign. I don't particularly like her, but i just thought 'Oh, JLo advertising the 500' and carried on when i saw the advert, but would it actually stop me buying one? No. It's not my favourite Fiat by some margin but the advert alone wouldn't change my mind.

On the other hand there will be many (in the UK at least) who like the whole 'Superstar as standard' thing - the 500 sells to some loyal Fiat fans but many who just like to have the latest 'thing', ie iPhone, Mini, 500. And to this group of people i'd have thought J-Lo adverts would appeal. Maybe in the US they take these things more personally. God knows why.

I agree with the points about the 500 advertising being pretty good, it is. We've had 'Everyday Masterpieces' launch advert, then the 'Now Open' & 'Nice One Sunshine' for the 500C, plus the TwinAir engine ad with the Volare Blue car, then the TwinAir trim level ad with Alonso, now the J-Lo one which advertises both the TwinAir engine and the 500C in one go. All this combined with newspaper, magazine & a alot of billboard ads round the bigger cities (London, Manchester) & strong finance offers. However, it's fair to say that short of the odd ad for the Punto, as Maxi said, the rest of the advertising is dire. Nothing for the Qubo or Doblo (why not a combined TV ad like for Vauxhall Meriva/Zafira a few years ago?) Nothing since 2008 for the Bravo & only scrappage scheme adverts on TV & in the press for the Panda, except for a few recent MyLife radio ads. They are getting better, such as the recent Alfa Giulietta TV ads that have the MiTo appearing at the end and the Chrysler ads that feature all 3 Chrysler models at the end, but really they need to push all their models for a few months at a time & make the advertising more instensive, ie TV, Press & Radio multiple times a day so the public remember - the Chrysler ads are knowhere near frequent enough for a brand relaunch, for example.

Saying all that & getting slightly back on topic, the US sales figures are hardly terrible, it's just clueless management that plucked figures outta thin air & as per usual where Fiat is concerned, don't get the whole experience sorted before launch, ie brochures missing, TV ad but nothing in magazines, not following up negative press reports. I see it over & over again with Fiat Group in the UK & unlike the UK the US don't put up with that sorta sh*t, maybe this will give Fiat a wake-up call. But is the number of 500s sold in the USA a disaster, not really. And is it J-Lo's fault, definately not.

Liam

 

[306maxi]

But is the number of 500s sold in the USA a disaster, not really. And is it J-Lo's fault, definately not.

Liam

I'm not saying she's to blame for all of the problems, but come on, if multiple media outlets are criticising it then that should say something about how effective the ad campaign has been.

 

[JTD_Liam]

I'm not saying she's to blame for all of the problems, but come on, if multiple media outlets are criticising it then that should say something about how effective the ad campaign has been.

Oh if it has been critisised by various media outlets then fair enough. I wasn't aware (or havn't read) that it was, but im not gonna argue with them if that's the case. I just don't see why people would base a car purchase decision purely on a celebrity used in the advert. I mean, it's not like they used Bin Laden. As good or bad as J-Lo is, she ain't worth THAT much of a reaction.

 

[Fiat500USA]

I'm not saying she's to blame for all of the problems, but come on, if multiple media outlets are criticising it then that should say something about how effective the ad campaign has been.

A couple of points I'd like to offer to temper what is being said in the Media.

First, The criticism with Jennifer Lopez is basically the same story being picked up by multiple media outlets, each one spinning it a little harder. One of the sources they use is the Fiat USA Facebook page which has a vocal group of haters that bash anyone offering a different opinion on Lopez. The result- no one bothers to counter any criticism and it looks universal.

A couple of Lopez facts are ignored. One is that not many people in the U.S. know what a Fiat is and Fiat USA needs to reach out to them.
The few thousand that do know may not be fans of Jlo, but Fiat already has us, they need to broaden their appeal and exposure.

On the day the JLO ad first appeared, my site, which being the number one site in the US already enjoys good traffic, spiked 200% in pageloads. That month total loads were up 45%.

http://www.fiat500usa.com/2011/10/fiat-outsells-mini-again-but-can-fiat.html

Additionally, JLO was on the American Music Awards (half naked ) in her 500c and that was seen by 12 million viewers. Pretty good exposure, I'd say.

Personally, I'm on the fence with the JLo ads, but I'm not the targeted demographic. I do know that woman make up 60% of new car buyers in the US...

The other point is about the Yahoo Finance Story. This story is so wrong, that the author should just withdraw it. It is based on inaccurate information.

The source quoted is using incorrect and misleading figures. In the first 7 months the 500 was sold in the US, it sold 13,881 cars. On top of that, the Yahoo Author is using a figure from summer and inferring those figures are the year's end.

Sure, Fiat didn't sell 50,000 units, but it beat the established MINI brand 3 months straight (July, August, September) with only 30 - 60 dealers and in just little over 9 months, still managed to outsell MINI's first years sales (25,161 vs. 24,590). This is hardly the biggest failure of the year.

http://www.fiat500usa.com/2012/01/fiat-500-sales-up-44-percent.html

 

[306maxi]

A couple of points I'd like to offer to temper what is being said in the Media.

First, The criticism with Jennifer Lopez is basically the same story being picked up by multiple media outlets, each one spinning it a little harder. One of the sources they use is the Fiat USA Facebook page which has a vocal group of haters that bash anyone offering a different opinion on Lopez. The result- no one bothers to counter any criticism and it looks universal.

A couple of Lopez facts are ignored. One is that not many people in the U.S. know what a Fiat is and Fiat USA needs to reach out to them.
The few thousand that do know may not be fans of Jlo, but Fiat already has us, they need to broaden their appeal and exposure.

On the day the JLO ad first appeared, my site, which being the number one site in the US already enjoys good traffic, spiked 200% in pageloads. That month total loads were up 45%.

http://www.fiat500usa.com/2011/10/fiat-outsells-mini-again-but-can-fiat.html

Additionally, JLO was on the American Music Awards (half naked ) in her 500c and that was seen by 12 million viewers. Pretty good exposure, I'd say.

Personally, I'm on the fence with the JLo ads, but I'm not the targeted demographic. I do know that woman make up 60% of new car buyers in the US...

The other point is about the Yahoo Finance Story. This story is so wrong, that the author should just withdraw it. It is based on inaccurate information.

The source quoted is using incorrect and misleading figures. In the first 7 months the 500 was sold in the US, it sold 13,881 cars. On top of that, the Yahoo Author is using a figure from summer and inferring those figures are the year's end.

Sure, Fiat didn't sell 50,000 units, but it beat the established MINI brand 3 months straight (July, August, September) with only 30 - 60 dealers and in just little over 9 months, still managed to outsell MINI's first years sales (25,161 vs. 24,590). This is hardly the biggest failure of the year.

http://www.fiat500usa.com/2012/01/fiat-500-sales-up-44-percent.html

Fair points

My point is this however, JHO is a marmite celebrity, you either love her or you hate her. Fiat should have chosen someone with more of a universal appeal so as not to repell possible buyers whilst attracting others. I can't remember if it was someone on the forum or someone at work, but someone suggested Beyonce as an alternative. Now I'm not a Beyonce fan myself, but if she comes on the radio I'm not changing channels like I would if JHO came on. Beyonce hasn't had a string of failed public relationships with other celebs like JHO has.

I guess I'm just the sort who likes to see someone in the news because of their talents and because of their work, not because of who they're shagging, marrying, divorcing or breaking up with.

Whilst a lot of people love celebrity culture and spend time reading about what sort of toilet paper Lady Gaga is wiping her arse with this week and a lot of people (like myself) will actually dislike people who are endlessly in the news for no good reason.

Could Fiat have done better with the 500 in the US if they'd chosen someone who is less divisive? I feel that they could have. The car is a decent car and it has the looks to get Americans into smaller cars, but it needs to be marketed better.

 

[Fiat500USA]

Fair points

My point is this however, JHO is a marmite celebrity, you either love her or you hate her. Fiat should have chosen someone with more of a universal appeal so as not to repell possible buyers whilst attracting others. I can't remember if it was someone on the forum or someone at work, but someone suggested Beyonce as an alternative. Now I'm not a Beyonce fan myself, but if she comes on the radio I'm not changing channels like I would if JHO came on. Beyonce hasn't had a string of failed public relationships with other celebs like JHO has.

I guess I'm just the sort who likes to see someone in the news because of their talents and because of their work, not because of who they're shagging, marrying, divorcing or breaking up with.

Whilst a lot of people love celebrity culture and spend time reading about what sort of toilet paper Lady Gaga is wiping her arse with this week and a lot of people (like myself) will actually dislike people who are endlessly in the news for no good reason.

Could Fiat have done better with the 500 in the US if they'd chosen someone who is less divisive? I feel that they could have. The car is a decent car and it has the looks to get Americans into smaller cars, but it needs to be marketed better.

That's one of the problems with celebrity endorsements -someone will hate the person. I'm more of a product guy, so I like to see the product being discussed or hyped. Big celebrities can take the focus off of the product; good if it is a mediocre product. That's not the case with the 500.

Personally, the only celebrity I would like to see in the car (or any car) would be a motorsports champion maybe hammering the car at the Col de Turini, etc. That makes for a neat commercial, but would not broaden the demographic.

I will say that when I drive my 500, young people have waved, given me the thumbs up saying "that's a Fiat 500, they're cool". I went to a Drive-Thru and the young lady knew what my car was and was absolutely enamoured with it and I know it wasn't with me. LOL

So Lopez is reaching people who never knew what a Fiat is. There is an element of this that is working.

 

[loveshandbags]

That's one of the problems with celebrity endorsements -someone will hate the person. I'm more of a product guy, so I like to see the product being discussed or hyped. Big celebrities can take the focus off of the product; good if it is a mediocre product. That's not the case with the 500.

Personally, the only celebrity I would like to see in the car (or any car) would be a motorsports champion maybe hammering the car at the Col de Turini, etc. That makes for a neat commercial, but would not broaden the demographic.

I will say that when I drive my 500, young people have waved, given me the thumbs up saying "that's a Fiat 500, they're cool". I went to a Drive-Thru and the young lady knew what my car was and was absolutely enamoured with it and I know it wasn't with me. LOL

So Lopez is reaching people who never knew what a Fiat is. There is an element of this that is working.

I got a lot of attention from guys in Vans and workmen on the street with some of them (men mind you) giving me the thumbs up. At one of the crossroads where a black guy was selling newspapers he say 'cool' to me but that was in the black 500 with the stripe. Not too sure if it was the stripe or the car. There is a lot of interest from men out there but the J.Lo advert is not doing them any favours.

 

[306maxi]

That's one of the problems with celebrity endorsements -someone will hate the person. I'm more of a product guy, so I like to see the product being discussed or hyped. Big celebrities can take the focus off of the product; good if it is a mediocre product. That's not the case with the 500.

Personally, the only celebrity I would like to see in the car (or any car) would be a motorsports champion maybe hammering the car at the Col de Turini, etc. That makes for a neat commercial, but would not broaden the demographic.

I will say that when I drive my 500, young people have waved, given me the thumbs up saying "that's a Fiat 500, they're cool". I went to a Drive-Thru and the young lady knew what my car was and was absolutely enamoured with it and I know it wasn't with me. LOL

So Lopez is reaching people who never knew what a Fiat is. There is an element of this that is working.

I take what you're saying, but if you celeb pushes people away at the same time as bringing new people in then it's not entirely successful.

IMHO the direction Fiat should have gone in the US is more like this



I'd be VERY surprised if any great proportion of the market watches that and thinks "Urgh, I hate Uma Thurman, I DEFINITELY don't want a Giullietta"

 

[loveshandbags]

One statistic on a previous posting that caught my attention 'woman make up 60% of new car buyers in the US...'.

Remembering the Abarth ad which I really enjoyed why was the guy so weedy ? Does it remind you of this ? :devil: (Apologies in advance if it causes any offence)

 

[danijel]

What is price of 500 in USA? And what is price of VW Golf? And Mini?

 

[loveshandbags]

What is price of 500 in USA? And what is price of VW Golf? And Mini?

The Fiat USA 500 configurator used to give prices but IIRC the POP was around €15.5K, the Sport c. €17.5K & the Lounge circa €19K. The new Abarth 500 is priced at €22K. All prices have €500 destination charge on top (similar to delivery charge). In comparing the cost with a MINI here's a reference point...

http://www.edmunds.com/fiat/500/2012/road-test.html
Our well-equipped 2012 Fiat 500 Sport cost an even $19,000 — a base Mini Cooper costs $400 more and lacks many of the 500's features

I haven't looked at the VW Golf.

 

[danijel]

Hm then 500 its not too expensive. I think I read somewhere that new Dodge Dart will be about 20 000. Thats why I ask for Golf. USA people dosent like Fiat.

 

[epb]

Our well-equipped 2012 Fiat 500 Sport cost an even $19,000 — a base Mini Cooper costs $400 more and lacks many of the 500's features

Yep, the difference is even more dramatic if you spec a Pop, since they start at $15,700 now (destination charge has gone up). You can get a 500 Abarth for what a decent-spec base Mini Cooper would cost here.

 

[Milnoc]

I think Fiat has just made up for its previous advertising blunders.

 

[keeforelli]

A couple of points I'd like to offer to temper what is being said in the Media.

First, The criticism with Jennifer Lopez is basically the same story being picked up by multiple media outlets, each one spinning it a little harder. One of the sources they use is the Fiat USA Facebook page which has a vocal group of haters that bash anyone offering a different opinion on Lopez. The result- no one bothers to counter any criticism and it looks universal.

A couple of Lopez facts are ignored. One is that not many people in the U.S. know what a Fiat is and Fiat USA needs to reach out to them.
The few thousand that do know may not be fans of Jlo, but Fiat already has us, they need to broaden their appeal and exposure.

On the day the JLO ad first appeared, my site, which being the number one site in the US already enjoys good traffic, spiked 200% in pageloads. That month total loads were up 45%.

http://www.fiat500usa.com/2011/10/fiat-outsells-mini-again-but-can-fiat.html

Additionally, JLO was on the American Music Awards (half naked ) in her 500c and that was seen by 12 million viewers. Pretty good exposure, I'd say.

Personally, I'm on the fence with the JLo ads, but I'm not the targeted demographic. I do know that woman make up 60% of new car buyers in the US...

The other point is about the Yahoo Finance Story. This story is so wrong, that the author should just withdraw it. It is based on inaccurate information.

The source quoted is using incorrect and misleading figures. In the first 7 months the 500 was sold in the US, it sold 13,881 cars. On top of that, the Yahoo Author is using a figure from summer and inferring those figures are the year's end.

Sure, Fiat didn't sell 50,000 units, but it beat the established MINI brand 3 months straight (July, August, September) with only 30 - 60 dealers and in just little over 9 months, still managed to outsell MINI's first years sales (25,161 vs. 24,590). This is hardly the biggest failure of the year.

http://www.fiat500usa.com/2012/01/fiat-500-sales-up-44-percent.html

It should also be remembered that fiats history in the US is horrendous- they were forced to pull out of the market in the 80s.
The sales performance, from a zero base, to sell a TINY car to a market not yet in love with them, is more than decent.
As above- not to be considered a failure at all..

 

[keeforelli]

Maxi

I'm pretty clued up (I think) celeb wise... So to further your point- who Hates
Jennifer Lopez?!
I think the Alfa advert with uma is pretty cringe, and while we are on the subject, kylie for Lexus... j-lo no worse or better than this...

Possibly celeb endorsement quickest way to get publicity for sure, but for me it just makes me wonder how much they were paid... And, looks tacky..but for ALL celeb endorsements- not just the Lopez one..

 

[alfatastic]

Even a celebrity endorsement from a "Model recently out of the jungle and dating a fellow contestant" can change an ok company into one doing very nicely thank you.

Friends of the family upgraded the family motors from a damiler jag, range rover, and old merc slk to a Bentley Flying spur, Jag XKR and BMW X1 and their holiday home from 3 bedroom apartment on a golf course near Marbella to a 5 bedroom penthouse on the Harbour side with (Jag S type in garage), after the son (against his fathers better judgement) signed up said model to endorse a range of their under ware a few years ago.

 

[Geddes]

When celebrity endorsements go bad:

 

[loveshandbags]

... signed up said model to endorse a range of their under ware a few years ago.

I take it that it wasn't the Y fronts in the VX220 ad just posted.