• by Karl Greenberg , July 13, 2013

Fiat last week launched new campaigns for its 500 Abarth cabrio, and 500e electric car. For the former, Fiat sculpted the car from the painted bodies of dancers and gymnasts; for the latter it was an “Environmentally Sexy” Web site and video series directed to the California market, touting both the car and the state’s eco-friendly rebate and incentive offers.

Says Boris Stojanovic, creative director at Chrysler LLC’s digital agency SapientNitro, which developed “Environmentally Sexy” campaign: “Our task was basically to create a hand-raiser site about the vehicle and about some pre-qualification offers." 

He adds that the next step of the campaign, which makes the car a centerpiece of  two couples’ humorous dalliances, will likely be a digital series following the couples on romantic road trips across California -- Los Angeles to Napa Valley. He says the extension will help demonstrate that the state is e-car friendly and has a bona fide network of charging stations that makes the cars viable for trips beyond the local supermarket. 

Jason Stoicevich, head of Fiat Brand North America, tells Marketing Daily that the body-art creative work for the 500 Abarth may have a life beyond ESPN magazine’s “Body Issue.” “We love the concept of the ‘Body Paint’ ad, and we’re exploring other opportunities to give the ad life, so to speak, whether in print and/or online,” he says.

He says that the online component is a must, based on what happened with the brand’s “Sexy People” song, featuring rapper Pitbull, singer Arriana, and (Fiat had suggested they would bring him back) Charlie Sheen. Stoicevich says the video got over 13 million views, and similar success with its Dude Perfect collaboration using Fiats in one of their perfect-shot videos. “Given that we know how our audience loves sharing content online, social media has been a great engagement channel for us.”