We had celebrated the election of Pope Francis in an earlier post and it is a joy to see the”kindness” impact he has been having in the world for not just Catholics, but all people. The Papal visit to the US created an amazing buzz and his using a Fiat is a big celebrity endorsement for the brand.
According to the New Yorker, Pope Francis wants to give the message of frugality, humility and a focus on service by using a car like the Fiat. And that message has come through really powerfully. Anyone in the car market will seriously look at the Fiat in the USA. And don’t be surprised if folks who earlier were considering the Toyota Prius will consider the Fiat 500.
This is a positioning conundrum for the marketing folks at Fiat. For like all car advertisers in the US they needed to bring some excitement into their product and did so very successfully with the “blue pill” campaign by the Richards Group.
The positioning conundrum is :
- Is Fiat a “frugal” brand? Going with the Pope’s usage of the brand and the minimalist image that he sought to convey, there will be a big upsurge in demand from the “frugal” American consumer. Despite stereotypes of American flamboyance there is a sizable segment of “frugal” Americans estimated at 13 Million according to Nielsen PRIZM.
- Is Fiat for the empty nester baby boomer? Or is the Fiat for the empty nester as embodied in the ad below. This segment is also 8.5 Million with about double the income of the “frugal” segment according to Nielsen PRIZM.
Or can Fiat do both? About StratoServe Digital Marketing Services.