MxMIndia

Tag: Fiat

  • Branding mega-corporations is a strategic call, writes Avik Chattopadhyay

    Is ‘Stellantis’ a good name for PSA-Fiat Chrysler merged entity?

     

    By Avik Chattopadhyay

     

    Earlier this week, it was announced that the merged entity of PSA Group and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles will be called ‘Stellantis’.

     

    Quite an interesting move, given that the merged mega corporation owns some power brands like Peugeot, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Citroen, Lancia, DS, Dodge, Jeep and Chrysler.

     

    The official press release says that the name is rooted in the Latin word ‘stello’ meaning ‘to brighten with stars’. “The name’s Latin origins pay tribute to the rich history of its founding companies while the evocation of astronomy captures the true spirit of optimism, energy and renewal driving this industry-changing merger,” says the joint statement.

     

    Why would the merged entity not imaginatively call itself ‘PCFC Automobiles’ or ‘Tri-Nation Mobility’? Why would it not take advantage of its unique French, Italian and American roots and call itself accordingly? We have had Daimler Chrysler, Arcelor Mittal, LVMH and Exxon Mobil, to name just four from many mega-corporations formed out of mergers/ acquisitions.

     

    Creating a new brandname and identity while forming a mega corporation is a strategic call to be taken by the merging entities. I can think of six clear reasons in favour of this action. The specific action could be due to any of the following or a combination of them:

     

    Protect strong individual brands – when the merging entities have very powerful brands that need to maintain their individual positions in the market, it is prudent to go for an umbrella branding that transcends strong product / solution brands. Inditex is a great example owning brands like Zara, Pull & Bear and Massimo Dutti.

     

    Partnership of equals – when each merging entity is on the same footing, then it is best to go for a new name as that does not give out any subliminal messages, internally and to the world on who exactly has the upper hand. It was Exxon Mobil and not the other way round. And “we are following the alphabetical order” is not a good excuse as we also had Daimler Chrysler clearly showing who was the boss. Arcelor Mittal was a clever strategic call as Arcelor was the more ‘credible’ name to ride on for Mittal to establish his empire.

     

    Merge provenance and cultures – Stellantis will see three cultures coming together to create a unique ecosystem requiring a fresh name to the new organisation. Entities which till yesterday overtly flaunted their provenance will now have to consciously move above and beyond this, without damaging the provenance of each product brand. Citroen will be quirky French while Dodge will be American muscle. Stellantis may be a combination of existing cultures or build a completely new one, born out of the new business purpose.

     

    Need to expand and acquire – mega organisation brands are created when conglomerates are planned through acquisitions and expansions. General Motors is the classic example, being formed in 1908 as a holding company for William Durant’s latest acquisitions of Buick and Oldsmobile, to be rapidly followed by Cadillac, Elmore, Pontiac and Reliance. The group name sounded grand and officious enough to take on Ford. Another example is United Spirits which was founded in 2006 announcing the merger of McDowell, Herbertsons, Shaw Wallace and few other companies. While these two examples are of mega corporations in the same industry space, a multi-industry example is United Technologies [now Raytheon Technologies] that once spread across various industries through brands like Otis, Sikorsky, Carrier and Chubb Security amongst others.

     

    Deliver a greater purpose – mega-corporations go into rebranding or creating a fresh brand when there is a significant shift or a new definition of the greater purpose. A good example to me is the creation of Alphabet in 2015 when Google realised its greater purpose lay in improving lives through empowerment, maintaining transparency and autonomy of various businesses in the conglomerate. Google’s recent announcement of investing $10 billion in India in the specific areas of health, education and agriculture is a manifestation of this greater purpose.

     

    Give a positive spin – or the inverse of it which is to remove any negative opinion and associations with one entity when the merger is in process. A good example here is when Philip Morris rebranded themselves as Altria when acquiring Kraft Foods, now no longer part of the mega-corporation. The conscious attempt to move into foods and non-tobacco businesses led to the creation of a new name with no association with the core business.

     

    Personally, I love the decision of the PSA Group and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to call the merged new mega corporation Stellantis. It is a bold decision in the right direction. There is no obvious association with the automobile and neither any deliberate resting on the countries and cultures they come from. It sure sounds from the ‘western’ world with some Latin / Greek connection. Other than that, it is fresh and intriguing enough for people to ask them what it really means. That gives the brand the opportunity to narrate their story and share the new greater purpose. Cheers to that!

     

     

  • The campaign theme reinforces strong association with FIAT's key attributes- superior driving experience and build quality

    FCA unveils new brand campaign – “Crafted for Car Lovers”

    By A correspondent

     

    FIAT Chrysler Automobiles India revealed its new brand campaign, “Crafted for Car Lovers”. This would facilitate FIAT brand to resonate with Indian customers and enhance the brand appeal.

     

    The underlying theme of the campaign is based on the insight that Fiat Cars are designed for the true auto enthusiasts. The TVC effectively portrays the brand promise of superior drive and strong build quality. It depicts the entire Fiat Product line up including the two brand new additions, the Abarth 595 Competizione and the Abarth Punto.

     

    Speaking on this campaign, Kevin Flynn, President and Managing Director, FCA India said, “FIAT cars are for those auto enthusiasts and car lovers who rate superior driving experience and robust build quality above other parameters. Through this campaign we want to rekindle the trust in our loyal Indian FIAT fans. Our commitment towards the Indian market is massive. We are working aggressively and constantly innovating to provide the best of products and world class services to our customers. At FCA India we are also evaluating the market to introduce relevant products from FCA’s international stable.”

     

    Neville Shah, Group Creative Director, Ogilvy & Mather said “You speak to a true car lover you will notice that they really are not interested in the frills, that extra knob here and an extra sticker there. What really matters to them is the way the car grips the road when you throw her round a corner, the confident thud that you hear when you shut the door, the way the car will swallow potholes and smooth tarmac without hesitation. You will also notice that they feel that much more for their cars. And this is exactly what we also saw with the many Fiat owners. They understand cars and therefore they quickly get to the basics – the drivability, the build quality and most importantly that smile that refuses to leave their face after they have taken the car for a quick drive! Our new campaign salutes this car lover, this Fiat lover.”

     

    FCA India is undertaking a 360 degree communication approach across mediums including print and television, hoardings, radio, digital, testimonial films etc. which will run for a span of 45 days.

     

  • Maxus ESP executes an innovative and integrated consumer campaign for FIAT Avventura

    Maxus ESP executes new content campaign for Fiat

    By A Correspondent

     

    Maxus ESP conceptualized and executed a national campaign for FIAT’s Avventura, the first contemporary urban vehicle (CUV), which has garnered significant buzz in its pre-launch phase. Avventura is targeted at people who want to break free from their routine life and explore life through adventure, passion and feel alive.

     

    The campaign line -‘Boring is Dead.. It’s time to live alive with Fiat Avventura’ from the brand brief was worked upon to create an engaging content campaign. The team used radio and digital platforms to create maximum noise and amplification for the brand. The campaign urges people to move out of their mundane life and do more adventurous and fun activities. FIAT will help fulfill the best ideas in people’s bucket list. This is one of the biggest content campaigns for FIAT in India till date. Within three days of release, over 1000 entries have poured in.

     

    Fiat Avventura is a CUV (Contemporary Urban Vehicle) that is positioned as a vehicle for active lifestyle. Keeping this brand imagery in mind, Maxus ESP crafted a contest that is running on radio and digital with noted television anchor and actor Gauahar Khan as the face of the campaign.

     

    A three part series of “call to entry” videos that captures these elements has been released digitally. The first promo with Gauahar shows her getting bored in traffic and then cuts to enjoying her drive in the Fiat Avventura. In the second one, Gauahar is bored watching TV shows and then she takes her Fiat Avventura and goes mountain biking. In the third promo Gauahar is bored at work in the office and later shown kayaking. Through an interesting content led tie up with Radio City, the proposition of “Boring is Dead” is also ported via Radio Spots, Time checks and Traffic Updates. The radio campaign is very high on engagement as Radio City Rjs are interacting with listeners daily and encouraging them to share their Live Alive experiences. Apart from listeners, Gauahar Khan is also sharing her Live Alive experiences with the RJs, encouraging listeners to Live Alive. Fiat and Gauahar would be using their social assets (twitter/banners/websites) to promote the activity.

     

    Shailja Vohra

    “The brand wanted us to capture the essence of the product and reach out to our target audience at multiple levels. The campaign was designed to build a category that resonates with adventure, fun and fulfilling your desire. We tapped into the power of radio and digital to reach our audiences and the results have been extremely encouraging,” said Shailja Vohra, Head Maxus ESP, India

     

  • The creative idea that has been adopted is 'Life just became more interesting'

    Grey drives Fiat’s ‘Hello Life’ proposition further

    Having established an enormous fan base, Fiat has introducing the all-new Punto Evo with a revamped design. The carmaker has announced a new campaign that highlights the features of the new car, which has been developed by Grey Group.

     

    The task for Grey was clear: announce the new Punto Evo, re-instate its strengths while promoting all the new additions, and ensure the car is a part of Fiat’s overall brand positioning of ‘Hello Life’. The creative idea that has been adopted is ‘Life just became more interesting’ and uses the device of adding a different take to any situation. While something is enjoyable in its own way, it can be made even better by simply incorporating a different aspect to it.

     

    Nagesh Basavanhalli, MD and President Fiat Chrysler India said,” Punto Evo is a stylish, premium hatchback embodying Italian design flair making it a preferred choice of a style conscious consumer. Agency was given the task of communicating the strengths of Punto while making it appeal to its target consumers who are life maximizers – Youthful, Carefree, Cool, Hep, Happening, Stylish, Energetic who is a evolved and is tech savvy in today’s world. While we had a choice to talk just about the product, we wanted to keep it around the consumer and what the car promises to be to his/her life and hence, we developed the proposition of New Punto EVO, life just became more interesting. The TVC maintains the premium and international imagery of the brand and keeps the communication to the point yet very eye-catching and full of life”

     

    The look and feel of the communication has been kept very youthful, energetic and full of style. Malvika Mehra, National Creative Director, GREY group India shared, “Most car advertising in this segment typically sounds very transactional and competitive. It’s mostly about mileage, power, legroom etc. which while being an important part of the decision making process, sometimes leave out the ‘experience’ of what it ‘feels’ to drive that car. We forget that cars are actually an extension of one’s personality. With the new communication for the Punto Evo, with it’s exciting new features and great Italian design pedigree (an intrinsic part of the Fiat lineage), we have tried to occupy the mind space of a discerning consumer who while being reassured of the ‘basic asks’ of a great car (obviously) also has a chance to have an ‘interesting’ driving experience with this Italian hatchback.”