Fiat 500 / Monday, July 06, 2009
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FIAT’S BABY CUDDLES A PANDA IN CANNES

Not content with winning awards for itself, the Fiat 500 has now started winning awards for its advertising with Fiat’s baby collecting two Gold Lions in the Cannes International Advertising Festival for an innovative advertisement that replaces crash test dummies with endangered species, including a Panda.

The aim of the campaign, which took awards in the Film and Outdoor categories, was to show that Fiat is equally concerned with safety – the crash test shows that the 500 achieved a five star EuroNCAP rating – and the environmental work carried out by Fiat throughout its entire business represented by the Panda.

In order to convey this twofold message, creative staff from the Marcel Paris agency dreamed up an original and amusing TV and poster campaign depicting some animals – representing endangered species – aboard a Fiat 500 during crash tests, all passed in complete safety due to the vehicle's qualities. A short text commented "designed to reduce impact on the environment" with the double meaning of eco-friendly/safety, demonstrating that safeguarding the environment and saving human lives are not mutually exclusive goals. When awarding the prizes, the festival panel recognised the originality of the campaign and the open way this topic was dealt with: the brand does not deny the impact of the motoring world on the environment but is doing all it can to minimise it.

Fiat also won the prestigious “Grand Prix” in the Cyber category for a campaign designed by the AKQA agency in London and awarded to the Eco:Drive project, which showed Fiat putting into practice the idea that a car manufacturer's environmental responsibility also extends to the way people drive their cars. Using this technology, the owners of Fiats equipped with Blue&Me can download a specially-created software application (from to check their driving style. Eco:Drive gathers all necessary information on a car's efficiency through the USB port of the Blue&Me system onto a pen drive. Once entered onto a computer, the system displays the car's detailed environmental performance, including its CO2 emission levels for each trip. It also analyses the driving style and gives tips on how to changing driving styles can achieve a lower level of CO2, thus encouraging drivers to reduce their environmental impact.

(ends)

For further information:

Fiat media web site:

Andrei Zaitzev / Edward Rowe
General Manager ~ Fiat / Public Relations Manager
Ateco Automotive Pty Ltd / Ateco Automotive Pty Ltd
Ph: (02) 9701 8035 / Ph: (02) 9701 8015
Mob: 0400 166 147 / Mob: 0407 913 244
Fax: (02) 9701 3533 / Fax: (02) 9701 3555
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Fiat Media web site:

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Release Number: 311fiat-AU

Date of Issue: 18 October 2018. Time of Issue: 09:49:33