Being Bold on Social Media is About Risk Versus Reward

Fiat

There is plenty of vanilla out there. As someone who explores various social media campaigns, techniques, and strategies on a daily basis, it gets pretty boring seeing the same old things being spun in slightly different ways. When something truly fresh comes along, I normally applaud.

When I saw Fiat's attempt at being bold on YouTube, I had to watch it again. And again. Each subsequent viewing I went deeper into analyzing what they were trying accomplish with the clever rap. They wanted to go viral, that was certain, and it worked. They're approaching 3 million views. They also wanted to relate to a demographic, and they probably did to some extent by mentioning many of the trials that mothers face when they transition into motherhood.

The only thing I couldn't figure out was whether or not the risk was worth the reward. They didn't hold very many punches, mentioning controversial topics such as fake orgasms and itchy thongs, and the funny play on words talking about dogs and gardening equipment as "bitches and hoes" brought the full spoof factor into play right from the beginning, but can it really do anything other than garner a few laughs and knowing nods of agreement? The challenges faced by mothers were never shown to be addressed by the stylish Fiat 500 other than the fact that this particular mother liked to drive one.

The risk, of course, is that some people will be offended. It's as clean as a spoof like this can get but there will be those who get a negative vibe about the brand as a result. This is fine and any time you take a risk with social media you're going to make people upset but there needs to be a greater reward potential to counteract the negatives.

Unfortunately, the video does not do enough to get positive sentiment for the brand. Mothers may associate with the video, even feel the pain, so to speak, but the positioning of the brand within the lyrics and visuals is not enough to bring the association full circle.

When Toyota came out with their Swagger Wagon video nearly three years ago, they did much more to accomplish the same goals. They created a video through which parents could relate, but also centered it around the vehicle itself. It was effective on both ends - controversial and funny enough to be watched (over 11 million views) without running the risk of offending many people. The Sienna was front and center through most of the video and not just a subtle background statement for the sake of lifestyle association.

Even the name itself was much better. There are those today who likely still call their vehicle their "Swagger Wagon", whereas Fiat naming their video "The Motherhood" does little to keep the video or the branding going once it falls off of people's buzz radar.

Creating a viral video for the sake of going viral is no longer an effective technique. It helps somewhat with branding, but even in that regard Fiat is too subtle without being powerful about it. There's nothing wrong with subtle branding when done properly. Pantene had a viral video that didn't mention the brand or highlight its effects until the end of the 4-minute video. It was effective because the storytelling throughout was powerful and the final minute where the star's hair is highlighted ended at the peak of emotion when the brand is finally revealed.

Fiat was close to having a successful video. Had they worked in the brand into the song itself, toned down some of the potential negatives, and showed that the vehicle represented some level of freedom and expression that their target audience craved, the effects would have been much better.

Watch the videos and you be the judge. Did they work?

Views: 207

Comment

You need to be a member of DealerELITE.net to add comments!

Join DealerELITE.net

Comment by Matt Page on February 1, 2013 at 12:57am

The Fiat was too bold. As long as it's a PG rating, it's fine with me.

The only way many people can be authentic is to be bold and have no fear of it.

All three resonated with the troubles of life, but I only knew it was Pantene from the beginning with the hint of the You Tube ad. That is fine for shorter ones, but for this long, it might be a problem. Anything over five minutes is too long, unless it's a TV show or movie.

Comment by Mark Dubis on January 31, 2013 at 6:56pm

JD, good topic, observations and commentary.  First we have to let folks know this video was for the UK market and not intended for the US.  The language, tone and lyrics are more suited for that audience rather than for the US.  I do not think you will see FIAT using this type of video to promote sales here. 

I am a big fan of the Swagger Wagon commercials and I think the FIAT UK Video was a big success for building brand recognition and it will get more people to put the car on their consideration list when shopping for a vehicle.

These days, anything outside the box will be seen as controversial, and everyone will have an opinion about it too.  And you know what they say about opinions . . .

I give these videos 2 thumbs up, and the last one was great.
Bach's Pachelbel's Canon in D Major is one of my favorites and a true classic.

Comment by Ryan L. Lenfestey on January 31, 2013 at 6:42pm

Good piece and some great points


I think that at least part of the intent here is to get the spot circulating through the viral networks and reap the recognition it now has. We know it as "that FIAT ad" and that, alone, is a job well done in the world of advertising.  I, for one, thought  it was clever song, but then wondered about "that big FIAT she's leaning against".  With the preconception being that FIAT only makes small cars, that is a good, sublime tease for people to start searching around for information on what on earth it was that they saw in the ad.  

Toyota's spots were great, too.  Theirs did a better job of combining the quirkiness of the parents and the cuteness of the exchanges with their children/each other to highlight the features of the vehicle.  It seems that FIAT is trying to be less of an obvious "car commercial", choosing instead to let the watcher notice what's there, instead of being directed to it.

The Pantene spot was masterful.  For a long commercial, it was still impossible to look away.  

Comment by JD Rucker on January 31, 2013 at 6:28pm

Michael, I've been critical of Toyota's social attempts in the past, but they have the video part down cold. Their Kaley Cuoco RAV4 ad is currently the most viewed on YouTube of all the Super Bowl ads and it features the vehicle prominently in that as well.

Comment by Michael Baker on January 31, 2013 at 6:24pm

Agree JD, Fiat beyond 'trying' to brand the 500 to a mother w/o any reference to the automobile, shoud have at least included a bug on the video, as Toyota did...

© 2024   Created by DealerELITE.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service