[sjmst]

In response to a National Public Radio piece on the FIAT 500, and the inevitable Fix It Again Tony ignorance:


http://www.npr.org/2012/01/04/144335...ed-by-missteps


"Joel Hailey (JoelHailey) wrote:

Pretend for a moment that this article reviews the new Ford Fiesta. Now, pretend for a moment that I commented "I had a 1974 Ford Pinto when I was in High School. It was the worst car I ever owned". Pretty stupid eh?"

 

[Javi]

Funny, the Pinto is the car I'm always using for that analogy. "Pintos allegedly exploded 30 years ago when rear-ended. Would you not buy a new Focus or Fusion today because of that?"

 

[sjmst]

Funny, the Pinto is the car I'm always using for that analogy. "Pintos allegedly exploded 30 years ago when rear-ended. Would you not buy a new Focus or Fusion today because of that?"

Yep, but people feel SOOO smart when they say "Fix it again Tony" Ironic.

 

[Mvander]

FIAT should come up with an ad campaign kinda like maytag had where "Tony" is so bored from not having anything to fix.

 

[Mvander]

Don't forget Audi's unintened acceleration troubles from the early 80's. Everyone forgot that one. Mabey because there was no funny phrase attached to it.

 

[MrFlippant]

During the J-Lo hullabaloo, I suggested a commercial kind of like that. Essentially showing the 500 zipping around town with different colors and drivers and such, each time passing a stereotypically Italian looking mechanic who would have hungry eyes at the cars, each time he would get a little older and tired looking. His shop would either be empty, or have other cars. At the end the screen would go black with white words (or an announcer) saying simply, "Sorry, Tony."

 

[Mvander]

During the J-Lo hullabaloo, I suggested a commercial kind of like that. Essentially showing the 500 zipping around town with different colors and drivers and such, each time passing a stereotypically Italian looking mechanic who would have hungry eyes at the cars, each time he would get a little older and tired looking. His shop would either be empty, or have other cars. At the end the screen would go black with white words (or an announcer) saying simply, "Sorry, Tony."

Love it! Your hired!

 

[SoCal Fiat Club]

I think we're going to need to produce that commercial... Mind if I steal the idae and run with it?

 

[smark]

During the J-Lo hullabaloo, I suggested a commercial kind of like that. Essentially showing the 500 zipping around town with different colors and drivers and such, each time passing a stereotypically Italian looking mechanic who would have hungry eyes at the cars, each time he would get a little older and tired looking. His shop would either be empty, or have other cars. At the end the screen would go black with white words (or an announcer) saying simply, "Sorry, Tony."

Very clever! I don't think they want anything to do with Tony, anymore. Even remember that.

 

[nickyill]

Pretty straight forward story, press for Fiat and nothing negative we didn't already know about - and it was Fiat's own doing anyway. I work for an NPR affiliate and the only person as excited about my car as me was my GM (the wife of NPR legend Noah Adams)...

 

[sjmst]

During the J-Lo hullabaloo, I suggested a commercial kind of like that. Essentially showing the 500 zipping around town with different colors and drivers and such, each time passing a stereotypically Italian looking mechanic who would have hungry eyes at the cars, each time he would get a little older and tired looking. His shop would either be empty, or have other cars. At the end the screen would go black with white words (or an announcer) saying simply, "Sorry, Tony."

Very clever! I don't think they want anything to do with Tony, anymore. Even remember that.

Clever! Though I doubt Fiat even wants to mention Tony. Believe it or not, some of today's buyers never heard Fix it Again Tony. Can you imagine a 20 year old asking her dad what the commerical means?

"Well, Brittany, 30 years ago Fiats were real sh7tboxes and people used to say "Fix It Againt Tony" Get it? FIAT..Fix.." "

"Oh how CUTE! can we go look into buying one daddy?"

 

[rrucker]

The Ford comparison is a little flawed, though. Ford continued making and selling cars here, while FIAT left the US under a cloud of unreliability, real or not. So, the most recent memory of "FIAT" and "US" is one of shame. Had Ford pulled itself from the US market when all those Pintos blew up, and were just now coming back, I think you'd hear a lot for "Flamed Out Road Death" jokes.

 

[MrFlippant]

Yes, the idea was shot down the same way the first time I mentioned it. It was also pointed out that the NA 500 is still too new to really know what kind of reliability it has, and such a commercial may end up a tad ironic. I guess my point is that the whole Tony thing is old and busted, just like the FORD thing is.

 

[PFVA63]

Hi,

To be honest, every time I've seen that Abarth "Seduction" commercial I've always worried a little that the woman's behavior kind of gives the impression that the car might be a bit "temperamental" and your relationship with it might be a bit "love and hate" as one moment everything seems fine and the next it seems to be giving you a really hard time.

To me this kind of brought up thoughts about some of the complaints I've heard about the Fiats of old.

Pat

 

[geeded]

Hi,

To be honest, every time I've seen that Abarth "Seduction" commercial I've always worried a little that the woman's behavior kind of gives the impression that the car might be a bit "temperamental" and your relationship with it might be a bit "love and hate" as one moment everything seems fine and the next it seems to be giving you a really hard time.

To me this kind of brought up thoughts about some of the complaints I've heard about the Fiats of old.

Pat

Whoa, Pat....Did we look at the same commercial... What I got from it was that the Abarth is a mercurial, red-hot car that will "grab" and hold your attention and create a permanent "lust". Oh, and that a beautiful woman is a great way to sell cars to guys

Cheers

 

[Tweak]

Whoa, Pat....Did we look at the same commercial... What I got from it was that the Abarth is a mercurial, red-hot car that will "grab" and hold your attention and create a permanent "lust". Oh, and that a beautiful woman is a great way to sell cars to guys Cheers

There was a car on that commercial?

 

[PFVA63]

Whoa, Pat....Did we look at the same commercial... What I got from it was that the Abarth is a mercurial, red-hot car that will "grab" and hold your attention and create a permanent "lust". Oh, and that a beautiful woman is a great way to sell cars to guys

Cheers

Hi,

I don't know, but to me the way the woman went from yelling at the guy to teasing him, really kind of gave me the impression that dealing with her/the car might end up being one of those "love/hate" relationships, where when everything is going well its great, but when something goes wrong you'll be left cursing and pulling your hair out.

Pat

 

[geeded]

Hi,

I don't know, but to me the way the woman went from yelling at the guy to teasing him, really kind of gave me the impression that dealing with her/the car might end up being one of those "love/hate" relationships, where when everything is going well its great, but when something goes wrong you'll be left cursing and pulling your hair out.

Pat

I think you're just overthinking it. It was just sex. He sees the car and it comes to life in his mind as a beautiful woman who Seduces him (hence the title of the ad). Nothing more but man was it hot....

Cheers

 

[PFVA63]

Hi,

I guess a fear to me is that the commercial may kind of give potential "ammunition" to detractors along the lines of "Abarth commercial harkens back to Fiat of old - its a car that may leave you drooling one moment and in a pool of tears the next" or "The new Fiat 500 Abarth - the more things change the more they stay the same - it'll be a "love/Hate" relationship from the start" or even "The 500 Abarth, she may be sexy but she's likely to leak fluids all over the place and leave you alone along the side of the road".

I guess to me, its just that there are a couple things in the commercial that may hit just a bit too close to home with some old issues about Fiats to make me totally comfortable with the commercial. I do think its funny and cute, but I'm not convinced that its a "great" commercial or that it doesn't have some real potential drawbacks.

Just some thoughts.

Pat

 

[sjmst]

Killer commercial, all postive no (reasonable) negative.