Fiat: Come to the Street / Vem pra Rua, 3

Credits & Description:

Award: AME Silver Medallion
Competition: AME
Competition Year: 2014
Agency: Leo Burnett Tailor Made
Agency Country: BRAZIL
Agency City: São Paulo
Competition: 193 2014 AME Awards
Category: PS01 automotive
Category Group: products & services
Brand/Sponsor: Fiat
Title: Come to the Street / Vem pra Rua
Release Date: /
Format: .mov
Item Company: Leo Burnett Tailor Made
Item Country: BRAZIL
Creative Director: Marcelo Reis
Production Company: N/A
Production Company Producer: N/A
Campaign Cost $10-25 million
Product Type Automotive
Campaign Start 05 / 06 / 2013
Campaign End 06 / 23 / 2013
Campaign Ran Brazil
Campaign Description brand repositioning or restaging
Marketing Context Brazil is one of the most important markets in the world for the automotive industry. There are currently more than 23 automakers and about 2,100 car models that annually pour approximately R $ 2.7 billion into communication.
More specifically, 2013 has been an emblematic year for Fiat and for Brazilians. Fiat was celebrating its leadership in sales for the 12th year, and Brazil is yet experiencing a time of social and economic euphoria that was crowned by its winning the Confederations Cup, a dress rehearsal for the World Cup and the Olympic Games. There was much for both to celebrate.
In this scenario, Fiat - unlike its competitors - had no media ownership, no official sponsorship nor any direct link with football, which greatly hindered its visibility during these important times. To put this into perspective: Hyundai and Kia are the official sponsors of the World Cup, GM has the naming rights for the state championships (which has increased their link and relevance over this period) and VW, the main competitor, besides sponsoring broadcasts on Globo TV, is also a sponsor of the Brazilian national team and of some of its major players, past and present, such as Neymar, Pelé and Lucas.
The Fiat brand, leader for 12 years, has always been at Brazilians’ side and just couldn’t be left out of this celebration. For such It would need to find a way that would be consistent with the brand, Brazilians and respect the General Law of the World Cup and FIFA’s regulations, according to which a non-sponsoring brand cannot perform any type of action within a 2km radius of the stadium, display images of the matches, perform any type of communications activity at the venue of the games and on any thoroughfare, promotions of any kind, use any official visual element or any closely resembling an official one of the event, nor even use words such as 2014 Cup, Copa do Mundo (World Cup), World Cup, host cities + 2014, Brazil 2014, among other restrictions.
Thus, despite the World Cup being an excellent communications opportunity for Fiat, seeing as its 2013 launch plan is rather restricted when compared to, for example, GM, who has re-launched its entire portfolio; VW, who has shown new technologies with every communication; and Hyundai, with its new ‘popular’ model, the restrictions imposed by Fifa practically prevented FIAT from taking part in that grand moment.
THE OBJECTIVE
Provide visibility and create relevance for FIAT during the Confederations Cup in Brazil, held during the month of June 2013, in which, unlike our competitors, we had no media ownership or sponsorship.
Campaign Planning
It was clear that we had to do a campaign that demanded a high level of engagement, in which the consumer would be the most important protagonist for both legitimizing the message and spreading it; more than your usual campaign, we needed to create a movement. A movement that could mobilize people, that was true to Fiat and that respected all of FIFA’s rules and regulations.
Our challenge was to find a territory almost unquestionably ours that would put us in the floodlights and differentiate us from other discourses of that moment, strong enough to unite Fiat, football and the good moment Brazilians were experiencing, seeing as we would be the challengers, for we would be competing not just with other brands who manufactured cars, but also with those who have sports in their DNA, such as Adidas and Gatorade.
Upon analyzing our latest brand tracking, we could see that Fiat has increasingly consolidated its image as (1) POPULAR (good awareness and affordable products), (2) CONSUMER-ORIENTED (always delivering what they need) and (3) A FRIEND TO BRAZILIANS (always at their side).
Based on this, we understood that these were strengths for the campaign (extensive expertise, closeness and caring) and also a demand that this communication could help with: consolidating the perception that being popular, as in Fiat’s case, meant not only delivering affordable products, but also being inclusive and democratic.
What was missing then was understanding how the consumer felt at the time and how he/she expected that a brand so close to them like Fiat should behave. We thus conducted analyses of contents, conversations with experts and consumers and historical analyses through which we identified two important cultural ‘fuels’ that led us to choose the STREET as the territory for communication:
1 ) THE FEELING OF BEING EXCLUDED: in a country with 200 million people, only about 60,000 per game would be able to see the Cup up close (in the stadium). This generated a sensation of denial, almost as if people were barred from a great party at their own home. This sentiment was also felt by Fiat, who could not attend the party in its main market.
For lack of a stadium grandstand, we would offer them the greatest grandstand possible: THE STREET.
2) OUR FOOTBALL WAS BORN OUT OF INFORMALITY: Brazilian football is recognized as being mischievous and playful, precisely for having its origins outside the pitch.
In our research we realized that the "feeling of being left out" was shared by both Fiat and Brazilians alike, and if neither one could get near the stadiums, it would be necessary to elect a common ground, open to all.
The STREET thus emerges as the territory that welcomes all Brazilians, and validates Fiat’s credibility as the expert of this territory and a partner of Brazilians.
Then, our great idea was simple, powerful and has a direct link between the brand, football and the Brazilian people:
Invite brazilians to celebrate the world cup on the street. A democratic and free, inclusive place that Fiat - being leader in sales for 12 years now - knows very well.
"Come to the Street. Come to the greatest grandstand in Brazil."/ “Vem pra rua. Vem pra maior arquibancada do país”.
Marketing & Media Strategy
Faced with a difficult media scenario, in which the competition had the priority in purchasing the sponsorship quotas for the World Cup, and the high media demand for the period in all categories, we had a great challenge before us:
CREATING HIGH VISIBILITY FOR THE CAMPAIGN IN THE MOST EFFICIENT WAY POSSIBLE.
Aware of the cultural power of the project being developed, the media design was molded so as to make "VEM PRA RUA" // "Come to the Streets" into a REAL PEOPLE’S HIT.
For such, our communication was developed in two phases:
1. CULTURAL INTRODUCTION OF THE CONCEPT - For this campaign to become a cultural element, we envisioned its introduction as the launching of a HIT SONG.
The idea of the campaign was spread across the country, but without revealing the brand and before the other advertisers so that it could be absorbed without bias and noise by the consumer; the singer Falcão, from the musical group O Rappa, was chosen with great care, as he is a celebrity known for his strong opinions and being averse to advertising, but who has great popular appeal and who also "came from the street”.
As the main motto of the campaign was the song "Come to the street", the Radio (the major stations with national and regional coverage) was the primary medium to start off the campaign. Within just a few days it was accepted and seen as "traditional music" among radio listeners, who began requesting that the song be played more often by radio. Only then was a video of Falcão singing the song in the studio posted on the brand’s digital properties (Facebook, Twitter and YouTube).
2. EXPANDING THE CONCEPT AND CONNECTION TO THE BRAND - 15 days after the first phase, and with the song already consolidated on the charts, we started with the other mediums. The movement now had a shape, layout and hashtag that connected it to the Fiat brand and presented the STREET as the brand’s official communications territory.
Creative Strategy
Upon analyzing Brazil’s cultural values and trends, we reached a common denominator that made tangible much of what we needed to say:
The street.
It’s on the street that the car passes by and people see who you are. It’s on the street that you show yourself and your personality.
It’s on the street that many football games are played and where great players are born.
It’s on the street that victories are celebrated.
It’s on the street that 190 million people will cheer, together.
It’s on the street where everyone will go to wave their flags,
Celebrating yet another victory of the brazilian team.
It’s on the street that the world cup will actually take place.
And the street is a place that we know better than anyone.
And fiat is without a doubt the company that knows streets best in Brazil.
Having the STREET as the brand’s territory, creating a rallying cry that would start a historical movement for Fiat and, later, Brazil: and so was born "VEM PRA RUA"/”Come to the Streets”.
Thus the concept was strategically designed and applied, and in order to make it into the lexicon and popular culture, it was decided that the connection with Fiat would be made by a supporting phrase that gave meaning and legitimacy to Fiat as the promoting force of this movement:
"Come with who best understands streets. Come with Fiat"./ “Vem com quem mais entende de rua. Vem com a Fiat".
Nothing more legitimate than the leading brand in sales stating that it is the most knowledgeable of the terrain where its products are driven.
Evidence of Results
We became the trending topic over the period:
• 38% ASSOCIATION with the Confederations Cup, beating sponsors such as Hyundai , Oi , McDonalds and Sony (Source: IPSOS, 1000 cases, Brasil)
• 81% OF COMMENTS ON CAMPAIGNS RELATED TO THE EVENT SPOKE OF "VEM PRA RUA"/”COME TO THE STREETS” (Source: Scoup Analysis May / June)
• 50% OF CONVERSATIONS ON AUTOMAKERS WERE ABOUT FIAT (Source: Scoup Analysis May / June)
• VIEWED 19 MILLION TIMES, becoming the most watched video in the history of the category on YouTube in Brazil.
• SONG DOWNLOADED OVER 60,000 TIMES and on JovemPan (biggest radio on the country) Hitparade.
• In a declining market and without any retail efforts, WE WERE THE ONLY ONES OUT OF THE 3 LEADING AUTOMAKERS THAT GREW BOTH IN MARKET SHARE (TO 21%) AND IN SALES (8,500 + units), assuring our leadership.
When we thought that all the results had been achieved, we were taken by surprise by a wave of protests that made "VEM PRA RUA”/”COME TO THE STREETS" their chant (all previous figures were collected before the demonstrations). And so new results appeared, showing the power of our zeitgeist-capturing work.
• "VEM PRA RUA"/”COME TO THE STREETS” WAS MENTIONED OVER 300 THOUSAND TIMES ON SOCIAL NETWORKS, 20% of which directly about the campaign and Fiat. (Source: Scoup Analysis Later June)
• 200 FACEBOOK PAGES 18 AND PROFILES ON INSTAGRAM WERE SPONTANEOUSLY CREATED. (Source: Scoup Analysis Later June)
• "VEM PRA RUA"/”COME TO THE STREETS” HASHTAG WAS ELECTED THE MOST IMPORTANT OF THE YEAR (Youpix) and THE MOST ASSOCIATED WITH THE DEMONSTRATIONS, (Meio&Mensagem), ahead of the movement Anonymous.
• IT BECAME A CULTURAL ELEMENT and was used countless times on signs, the news and t-shirts, and was freely adapted by other brands, by magazines and by celebrities like Gaby Amarantos, the Coke girl at the Cup and many others.
• A rumor about the campaign being taken off the air GENERATED A WAVE OF SUPPORT FOR FIAT ON SOCIAL NETWORKS.
• We won THE ATTENTION OF THE INTERNATIONAL MEDIA: NYT, ABC, BBC and Le Monde.
• Other results obtained by Fiat, besides visibility and engagement, were a stronger brand and one much closer to people. A study commissioned to "FF Planejamento e Pesquisa" showed that the brand has created a more intense and unprecedented connection with younger people. It also helped reposition the concept of popular, translating "basic and cheap" into "inclusive and democratic”.
Finally, we ,who wanted to have a part in a historic moment in football, ended up playing a part in the country's history.
Target Audience
All brazilians
Talent 1: João Ciaco|Fiat Advertising and Relationship Director
Talent 2: Maria Lucia Antonio|Fiat Advertising Manager
Talent 3: Marcello Magalhães|Planning VP
Talent 4: Tiago Lara|Planning Director
Talent 5: Marcelo Reis|Creative VP
Talent 6: Guilherme Jahara|Executive Creative Director
Talent 7: Fernando Calvache|Copywriter
Talent 8: Marcelo Bruzzesi|Art Director
Talent 9: Fernando Sales|Media VP
Talent 10: Daniela Franco|Media Director
Talent 11: Cintia Mourão|Account Director
Talent 12: Marco Farah|Planner