Fiat’s commitment to colour celebrates the essence of Italy

Italy – Italian car brand Fiat has made a bold statement by declaring an end to boring grey cars and launching a vibrant ad campaign that showcases the brand’s commitment to colour and celebrates Italy’s essence. The short film accompanying the announcement features Fiat CEO Olivier Francois being lowered into a vat of orange paint while sitting in one of the brand’s new 600e cars.

The creative process behind the ad took a year, with the aim to create a campaign that went beyond a traditional car commercial. The team at Fiat agency Leo Burnett Italia focused on conveying Italy’s colourful reputation and the joy associated with the ‘dolce vita’ lifestyle. Despite the potential challenges and costs associated with such a daring campaign, Fiat’s leap of faith has won praise from the advertising and marketing industry, not only for disrupting the automotive category but for acting as a commercial for Italy itself.

The campaign has resonated with viewers, with high recall rates for both the brand and the associations with colour and Italy, according to System1 research. It has accumulated over 4m views on YouTube alone, showing how the automotive sector can use innovative strategies to connect with its audiences, a trend we analysed in Not Your Parents’ Car.