Entertainment > Challenges & Breakthroughs

IL BARISTA

MIGRANTE CONTENT, Los Angeles / FIAT GROUP / 2023

CampaignCampaignLayout(opens in a new tab)
Presentation Image
Case Film
Supporting Images
Supporting Images
Supporting Content
Supporting Images
Supporting Images
1 of 0 items

Overview

Credits

OVERVIEW

Why is this work relevant for Entertainment?

At our company, we like to say we use a little math and magic to develop our creative campaigns. What this really means is that the backbone of our formula lies in developing an entertaining story that resonates with audiences through three key things: cultural insight, ethos, and representation.

But we take it a step further. Because consumers have taken a shift toward more authentic entertainment methods in recent years, we only work with creative teams that have genuine cultural links to the diverse and multicultural American audiences we are reaching.

Background

FIAT went fully electric in 2020, temporarily halting its U.S. operations. But due to sustainability demand increasing among American consumers, Fiat decided it would introduce the electric version of its flagship car, the 500e, into the U.S. market in 2022 at the LA Auto Show.

With ⅓ of U.S. consumers reporting interest in purchasing an EV, FIAT knew the demand was there. The challenge, however, was finding a way to appeal to the young, environmentally conscious American market while still portraying the authentically Italian “La Dolce Vita” lifestyle.

Immediately, we knew that in order to make this campaign a success, we’d need to harness both cultural and audience engagement insights to create a spot that introduced the all-electric FIAT 500e to U.S. consumers in a way that was elegant, romantic, and funny–in other words, an EV that is uniquely Italian.

Describe the strategy & insight

Our market research showed that FIAT’s target audience was young Americans in urban environments with an affinity for tech, green living, music, and motorsport. This audience celebrates uniqueness, freedom of expression, and excitement toward life, and has no gender preference.

That’s why we used both female and male protagonists to expand the story’s appeal and create something unprecedented for the automotive industry. According to Kantar, just 43% of automotive industry ads are gender-balanced. We utilized an Italian creative team to stay authentic to FIAT's Italian roots and origins

Our research also found humor to be the most powerful creative enhancer of audience receptiveness, so we leveraged the power of ethos to strengthen our story. From there, “Il Barista” was born. Its tongue-in-cheek style helped Fiat break through generational and cultural boundaries to prove everyone can be amazed by the style and sophistication of an Italian electric vehicle.

Describe the creative idea

The spot features a busy coffee shop somewhere in Italy. The cafe is full of lively patrons, all looking to get their morning expresso, meet with friends, and get the day started. However, all the noise and chaos descends into pure silence and awe… a moment so rare, only something incredibly special could make it a reality. At this moment, the new, elegant, and fully electric 500e drives by. Ending with the quote “The only engine that could silence the Italians.”

We leaned on cultural narratives around Italian and Italian culture, to reignite FIAT’s brand heritage, and their CLV, as they navigated introducing the electric version of a beloved vehicle back into the American market. This creative idea was driven by the need to remain authentic to Italian roots, while also using a tongue-in-cheek voice that would appeal to youthful American values like freedom of expression,

Describe the craft & execution

With just a two-week turnaround time, we first developed a visual mockup of the campaign for FIAT’s creative approval before production. Then, we partnered with a production company in Italy, sourced Italian stylists and set designers, and located a cafe in Treviglio to film. After filming, we edited the commercial right there in Italy. Finally, we presented the spot to FIAT, where its team approved the first cut. The campaign went live at the Los Angeles Auto Show the following week.

We idealized on Oct 7th, finished production of the commercial on Nov 9th, and the spot premiered in Los Angeles on Nov 17th.

The campaign premiered at the Los Angeles Auto Show on Nov 17th, was posted to YouTube on Nov 20th, and on Instagram on Nov 21st.

Describe the results

Il Barista reached nearly 1M U.S consumers between its debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show, and across its social media channels.

Furthermore, it was the top-performing social post on Instagram in November, performing 153.14% better than the average social post in November. It also had the highest engagement rate in November, performing 153.23% better than the average post.

Most proudly, Il Barista was the highest-performing social post among FIAT’s USA social media for all of Q4 2022.

Please tell us about the social behaviour and cultural insight that inspired the work.

As a Los Angeles-based agency with Italian roots, we had a unique cultural perspective. We know first-hand that Italian culture is vibrant, with a deep admiration for the beauty, social ritual, community, and love of life. On the other hand, living in LA, we are all too familiar with how Americans depict Italian culture through pop culture. Our goal was to bridge Italian and American cultures, celebrating their individuality and respective cultures while creating a campaign that transcended borders and generations. We wanted to celebrate Italians' love of espresso, and their zest for life, while portraying the culture in a way that American audiences would find humorous and endearing, reminding them how easy it is to fall in love with Italy.

This best-of-both-worlds perspective allowed us to lay the foundation of a creative spot that would connect U.S. audiences and the 500e in a fresh

Is there any cultural context that would help the jury understand how this work was perceived by people in the country where it ran?

This spot was so well received by the Italian Stellantis team that they posted the spot to the FIAT global account, highlighting how well Il Barista was able to resonate with Italian audiences.

More Entries from Social Behaviour & Cultural Insight in Entertainment

24 items

Grand Prix Cannes Lions
CLASH FROM THE PAST

360 Integrated Brand Experience

CLASH FROM THE PAST

CLASH OF CLANS, WIEDEN+KENNEDY

(opens in a new tab)

More Entries from MIGRANTE CONTENT

1 items

IL BARISTA

Social Behaviour & Cultural Insight

IL BARISTA

FIAT GROUP, MIGRANTE CONTENT

(opens in a new tab)