Category: Best Consumer Engagement
Advertiser: FIAT
Product/Service: FIAT PANDA
Media Agency: MAXUS , Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
Marketing Manager: Bertrand Scheenaerts (Fiat Group)
Communication Manager: Robbert Van Den Heuvel (Fiat Group)
Managing Director: Rosita Wijngaarde (Maxus)
Interaction Strategy Director: Patrick Van Rumt (Maxus)
Client Team Leader: Stephanie Robles (Maxus)
Creative Director: Rick Coolegem (Saatchi & Saatchi / Leo Burnett)
Creative Director: Maarten Dobbelaar (Saatchi & Saatchi / Leo Burnett)
Copywriter: Jan Bosch (Saatchi & Saatchi / Leo Burnett)
Art Director: Tim Ten Dam (Saatchi & Saatchi / Leo Burnett)
Client Service Director: Alewijn Dekker (Saatchi & Saatchi / Leo Burnett)
Account Manager: Sanne Kleindijk (Saatchi & Saatchi / Leo Burnett)
Community Manager: Evelien Van Der Bel (Saatchi & Saatchi / Leo Burnett)
Account Manager: Fleur Engelberts (Google)
Media placement: Social Media Online - Google+ - November 9th
Insights, Strategy & the Idea
Communication nowadays is changing rapidly. A shift from sending ads to anyone, anywhere, anytime, towards storytelling. Social media contributed largely to this development but its advantages stop at smarter targeting. So 'storytelling' is still just about sending stories to the world.
Fiat wanted to take communication to its target audience as personally as possible, without actually meeting in real life. The idea that the target group could just hangout with their favourite brand just as they would do with their friends was unthinkable. But with the new technology of Google+, a hangout for the Fiat brand and its fans came into reach.
To give fans a compelling reason to hangout with Fiat, the idea was to offer them exclusive behind-the-scene access to something they wouldn't normally get to experience.
Creative Execution
Fiat's Italian designer of the new Fiat Panda, Roberto Giolito personified the Fiat brand as host of the first Dutch commercial hangout. In a realtime virtual meeting with Fiat fans, he surprised them with an exclusive preview of the Panda’s interior and exterior design. A car that would officially be revealed to the general (Dutch) public only months later! The fans were very curious about the making of the Fiat Panda. They took full advantage of the opportunity to ask questions and give invaluable face-to-face feedback. After this engaging get-together the hangout participants rapidly shared their experience with their social communities through other social networks like Facebook, Youtube and Twitter. So Fiat was able to leverage its ‘owned’ media towards ‘earned’ media. After this private party, the video chat was also posted on Fiat’s own Youtube channel.
Results and Effectiveness
Fiat was globally the 1st in its category to make intelligent use of this Google+ feature. By seizing this opportunity and executing it in a compelling way, Fiat achieved its goals of telling its brand story and truly engaging face-to-face with its fans.The Dutch Fiat+ page has with 753+ followers the largest number in its category. The Fiat hangout video has since been watched by more than 11.000 people via Youtube channels. Fiats initiative on Google+ had been picked up by many websites, with an estimated worth of €1.343.750 media value.