Fiat is an Italian automobile manufacture and a major player in the European marketplace. Last year Fiat decided to enter back into the North America market, and according to this article things didn't go as they had planned.
"We thought we were going to show up and just because of the fact people
like gelato and pasta, people will buy it,” says Chief Executive
Officer Sergio Marchionne.
Because of this disappointing debut, Fiat recently decided to relaunch their marketing and advertising campaign to try and stir up some interest about their brand. Their marketing revamp was meant to try and capture the attention of the public, but in my opinion Fiat took it a little too far. Fiat's first display of their new marketing campaign was a commercial that was aired during the Super Bowl.
I think this ad is ethically questionable because it is too risque and sexual, I mean the name of the ad is "Seduction." The title alone should be a read flag that this commercial is not appropriate to air all over the TV for all ages to see. The content of this commercials should be for adults only. I think Fiat should tone down the erotic body language in this ad to make is appropriate for younger viewers. In addition, I think this ad causes further controversy because it portrays women as an object. The young man in the commercial is captured by the model's sex appeal and sees her instead of the car. I think this objectifies women because it depicts a human been as a only a sexy object. Fiat is stereotyping by gender and portrays women more as objects instead of people.
A more recent example of Fiat's new marketing revamp, is a commercial that features the famous actor Charlie Sheen, who while under house arrest drives a Fiat car around inside his mansion. In my opinion, this commercial also is ethically questionable and is very controversial.
Charlie Sheen is a celebrity who has be trademarked as a "party boy." It's not secret that Sheen is a drug addict, has been convicted of battery twice, has been involved with prostitution, spent time in jail, and was fired from the show, "Two in a Half Men" becuase of his indiscretions. To say the least Charlie Sheen is a troubled person who is on a downward spiral. However, in this commercial, Sheen, even though under house arrest, is depicted as the "life of the party" and is surrounded by gorgeous women. The ad is sending a message that even though this person has committed a crime and is being punished by the law, they can still be cool. I understand that Fiat is trying to push the envelop and gain publicity, and after all who would be better to do that than Charlie Sheen? But I personally think it is outrageous to praise someone for breaking the law. What kind of message does that send to the public about their company? That they don't care about the law? I don't agree with the message that Fiat is sending out through this commercial and I think it is unethical.
Fiat is a bold and unique company that is trying to make a name for themselves. While it is well known that "sex sells", I think Fiat could benefit from toning the sexual content down in their "Seduction" commercial and not portray women as objects. I also think that Fiat should reconsider what message they are sending out to the public in the Charlie Sheen "House Arrest" commercial.
This
summer I had an internship with a marketing research company that is based in Atlanta.
While I was interning there I got to work with team members on many clients’ accounts. One of their biggest clients they handle is The American Cancer Society (ACS), which is
also headquartered in Atlanta. The American Cancer Society is an nationwide nonprofit
health organization whose goal is to eliminate cancer. While I was interning I was
able to work on research projects for The American Cancer Society specifically
dealing with their commercials and became very familiar with their media
advertisements.
One
of the commercial that stood out to me the most was their “Happy Birthday to
You” commercials. Obviously the song “Happy
Birthday” is one of the most well known songs around the world that everyone
can relate to and connect with. ACS has tagged lined themselves as the “official
sponsor of birthdays” because they believe that every birthday you celebrate is
a victory, another year for beating cancer. Their mission is fight cancer so
that we you can celebrate more birthdays and live longer. I think the idea
behind using this as a themes song to fight cancer is brilliant because it is
so unique. It’s amazing that even something simple, like celebrating a birthday,
is now motivating society to join the fight against cancer. These commercials really
make you stop and put things in perspective; people are fighting for their lives
while others are crying because they are upset about turning 50. I think that
was ACS’s goal about this campaign. They want people to take a step back and appreciate
life, and hopefully feel moved to help end cancer.
ACS
also used celebrities in these commercials. Many big name singers such as: Justin
Bieber, Colbie Caillat, Devo, Jack Johnson, Dave Koz, Maroon 5, Jennifer Hudson
and Keith Urban, have joined the battle again cancer. Each version of these
commercials shows the famous artists singing “Happy Birthday” in their own
creative style. These celebrities have donated their talents to help magnify the
success of the campaigns. I think have having a famous singer really helps draw
the viewers in; most recognize the artists signing but am a little thrown off
because it is not one of their own songs. It makes you stop for a second to
figure out the message that they are sending. They do a good job with the
commercial of making the viewer think, while also making an emotional
connection with them. Whether or not
people want to admit it, society is heavily influenced by celebrities. When
people see famous stars getting involved with campaigns like this, it definitely
gets their attention. Viewers are probably more curious about ACS because of
their connection to these celebrities. I think these advertisements by The American Cancer Society have been and will continue to be very successful because of their creativity and use of famous celebrities.
