Alfa Romeo: BE CRAZY

Credits & Description:

Category: Best Use of Internet/Online Advertising in a Promotional Campaign

Advertiser: FIAT GROUP AUTOMOBILES SWITZERLAND

Product/Service: ALFA MITO

Agency: OGILVYONE

Date of First Appearance: Mar 4 2009 12:00AM

Entrant Company: OGILVYONE, Zurich, SWITZERLAND

Entry URL: http://www.alfamito.ch/cannes/

Junior Assistant Director: Bettina Klossner (OgilvyOne)

Creative Director: Oliver Glitz (OgilvyOne)

Junior Account Manager: Erik Hehrmann (OgilvyOne)

Account Manager: Stefan Schäfer (OgilvyOne)

Head of OgilvyInteractive: Björn Schneider (OgilvyOne)

Media placement: Guerilla Marketing - 5 Stickers - In Cities all over Switzerland - 4 March 2009

Media placement: Online-Banner - Facebook and Youtube - 4 March 2009

Media placement: Fanpage - Facebook - 4 March 2009



Describe the objective of the promotion.

The new Alfa MiTo, the first supermini from Alfa Romeo, was launched successfully in the fall of 2008 in Switzerland. Interest fell sharply in early 2009 after the launch phase ended, so Alfa Romeo set these goals for the promotion:
1. Use a minimal media budget to garner maximum penetration and attention within the target group throughout Switzerland.
2. Arouse the target group’s awareness of and interest in the new Alfa MiTo.
3. Enhance Alfa Romeo’s brand recognition within the target group.
4. Spark a word-of-mouth campaign for the Alfa MiTo.
5. Rejuvenate the Alfa Romeo brand.



Describe how the promotion developed from concept to implementation

“Be crazy. Win an Alfa MiTo.” – the motto of the Alfa MiTo fan page set up and maintained under the pseudonym Michele Tomaso (MiTo). He runs the contest, communicates with fans and ensures it gets mentioned in other communities and blogs. The campaign started with a guerilla sticker offensive followed by Phase 1 on the Facebook fan page: gathering ideas and having a celebrity Swiss jury select the 10 finalists. These are filmed in Phase 2 actually doing what their entries said they would do to win the car. The videos are then posted on Facebook for voting.



Describe the success of the promotion with both client and consumer including some quantifiable results

This Facebook promotion for the new Alfa MiTo in early 2009 hit like a bombshell: Despite the modest media budget, it turned into a sensational word-of-mouth campaign within the target group across Switzerland. “Be crazy. Win an Alfa MiTo.” keeps the target group constantly involved with the new car for a period of three months by acting as the competition’s creative minds, multipliers and voters. This promotion gained 36 test drives and sold 7 Alfa MiTo in only three months and the press covered the contest from the very start.



Explain why the method of promotion was most relevant to the product or service

As a supermini, the Alfa MiTo is designed for the city and the urban environment. This is why cosmopolitan, style and trend seeking, but still cost-conscious car buyers aged 18 to 35 were selected as the target group. These individuals are generally receptive to new things, active, impulsive and networked with friends and colleagues – both off and on line. Facebook, the biggest social network in Switzerland (1.8 million users), is THE communications platform for our target group. This audience’s openmindedness, active lifestyle and love of spontaneity and social networking were the key factors in choosing Facebook for this promotion.