珍妮弗•洛佩兹能够拉动菲亚特销量吗？

    汽车网站Autoextremist总编皮特•狄罗伦佐是底特律的汽车行业评论家，他炮轰这则在《周一橄榄球之夜》（Monday Night Football）期间播出的广告，称“它是近来最低劣的广告。”菲亚特的Facebook页面上有段留言称“我现在这台菲亚特已经开了快5个月，但在看了洛佩兹的广告后，我希望退货。”

    借助女性名人来推销汽车的策略可追溯到20世纪50年代，当时黛娜•肖尔唱出一句著名广告词“透过雪佛兰的车窗欣赏美国”（See the U.S.A. in your Chevrolet）。毫无疑问这种创意的起源时间甚至还更久远一点，但是显然这种营销手段还会延续下去。截至周四早上，完整版洛佩兹音乐录影带在Youtube上的浏览量已经突破1,000万，而菲亚特这则广告的浏览量也达到了346,131。

    更重要的是，Edmunds.com报道称菲亚特的考虑购买度——评估重新上市品牌的重要指数，自广告在9月12日播出以来已经提高了31%。其中，最高的单日增幅达到95%，当天正好有美国橄榄球职业联赛（NFL）的电视直播，这则广告在节目期间多次播出。

    橄榄球和菲亚特500到底有什么关系呢？

    据称，大约600万女性观看了比赛，而曲线优美、可爱的菲亚特500因为广告上的拟人化表现成为了与大众甲壳虫和Mini Cooper同一档次的“女性车”。

    弗朗索瓦为自己的选择进行了辩护，他在一份声明中称：“珍妮弗非常适合这个品牌，不是因为她是谁而是因为她真诚、热情又时尚，是一位一心要超越平庸的斗士。”

    菲亚特面对的另一个问题是，引起关注和提高考虑购买度是否会推动汽车展厅人流增加并最终增加销售。之前，同样“来自底特律”的克莱斯特2000并没有成为中型车领域的杰出竞争者，但该款汽车销量占克莱斯勒品牌上月总销量的一半左右，达到了10,861辆。

    菲亚特品牌仍然在加强其零售商网络，菲亚特500上市初期表现平淡。自该品牌今年年初重新上市以来，仅售出11,088辆汽车，其中3,106辆是在8月份完成的。

    弗朗索瓦与其他菲亚特-克莱斯勒高管一样，必须在都灵和底特律之间往返奔波。作为一个向美国人销售意大利汽车的法国人，他一直被批评不了解美国市场。例如，菲亚特近期推出古琦版（Gucci）汽车，但是这款汽车在美国中西部地区似乎不受客户待见。他的其他创意似乎有点过时，例如在广告中布置优雅的背景，同时画面上充斥着众多漂亮的模特，希望籍此美化克莱斯勒。

    但是弗朗索瓦行事迅速，信心十足，而且得到了公司高层的鼎力支持。就像其他菲亚特-克拉斯勒的高管，他仍然受首席执行官塞尔吉奥•马尔乔内及其黑莓手机的辖制，马尔乔内本人同样拥有自己一套非常确切的市场营销理念。但是弗朗索瓦毫无疑问为汽车行业带来了一些新鲜创意，这个行业的广告不思进取，长期充斥着微笑的情侣和蜿蜒的道路。我迫不及待想看看他的下一则广告会有什么新花样。

    译者：秋闲

    Detroit curmudgeon Peter DeLorenzo, who presides over the Autoextremist web site, attacked the presence of the ads on Monday Night Football as "the most egregious bits of boneheaded media placements in recent memory." A post on Fiat's Facebook page declared "I've had my Fiat for about 5 months now, and after seeing the J.Lo commercial I'd like to return it."

    The whole notion of using female celebrities to sell cars dates back to the 1950s, with Dinah Shore singing "See the U.S.A. in your Chevrolet," and doubtless it goes even earlier back, but apparently it still has legs. As of Thursday morning, the full-length J.Lo video had been viewed more than ten million times on YouTube, and the Fiat commercial alone was seen on 346,131 occasions.

    More significantly, Edmunds.com reports that Fiat considerations, a vital measure for a brand that is being reintroduced, have climbed 31% since the ad broke on September 12. As it happens, the biggest one-day spike, up 95%, came when the ad aired throughout the day on NFL telecasts.

    What's the connection between football and the 500?

    Well, it turns out some six million women are said to watch NFL games, and the anthropomorphic appearance of the curvy-cute 500 lands it in the same company as other "chick cars" like the VW Beetle and the Mini Cooper.

    Defending his choice of celebrity pitchwoman, Francois said in a statement: "Jennifer fits perfectly with the brand not because of who she is but because of what she is -- authentic, passionate, modern and a fighter determined to stand out from the rest."

    Whether creating buzz and consideration leads to showroom traffic and eventual sales will be another question. The "imported from Detroit" Chrysler 200, was hardly a standout competitor in the midsize segment, but it accounted for nearly half of Chrysler brand sales last month when 10,861 of them found buyers.

    The Fiat brand is still ramping up its dealer network, and the 500 has gotten off to a slow start. Since its relaunch earlier this year, 11,088 have found buyers, with 3,106 of the sales coming in August.

    Like other Fiat-Chrysler executives, Francois must divide his time between Turin and Detroit. As a Frenchman selling Italian cars to American buyers, he has been criticized for being out of touch with the U.S. market. Fiat, for instance, has developed a Gucci edition, which hardly seems likely to endear it to customers in the Midwest. Some of his other ideas have seemed tired, like glamorizing Chryslers by infusing its ads with attractive models in elegant settings.

    But Francois moves fast -- and confidently -- and he gets plenty of help from above. Like other Fiat-Chrysler executives, he remains tethered to CEO Sergio Marchionne and his Blackberry, who has his own very definite ideas about marketing. But Francois has unarguably brought some fresh ideas to an industry that for too long was satisfied to produce car ads featuring smiling couples and winding roads. I can't wait to see what he comes up with next.