Fiat Strada Launch Material
Fiat
Brazil
Introduction
The FIAT STRADA was the most important light pickup truck launch among all brands in the Brazilian market in 2020. After all, it is the undisputed leader of the segment, with aesthetic and technological innovations that definitively consolidated the FIAT concept and legacy in Brazil.
The challenge of the project was to bring the features and advantages of the New FIAT Strada to the point of sale—even during the pandemic—recognizing that the POS is a phygital environment and that the buying process takes place both in the physical dealership and through digital communication between the salesperson and the customer.
Two key questions emerged: How to support dealership sales teams in a journey that, in many cases, would take place without an in-person visit to the store? And how to shift the perception of both salespeople and consumers regarding FIAT’s merchandising efforts across physical and digital points of sale?
Development
Launching in the midst of the pandemic accelerated the trend toward digital sales channels and the digitization of the production process for physical materials, which could not be manufactured and shipped to dealerships due to logistical challenges.
The digitization of the point-of-sale material production process was achieved through the creation of a broadside that served as a complete guide for dealership orientation, along with a series of tutorial videos that supported local production of POS materials. In addition, a customer journey was designed to support salespeople’s digital efforts through tailored content for use on social media and messaging apps like WhatsApp.
To complete the strategic approach, an integrated action was planned with various merchandising materials that complemented one another and enhanced the promotional perception across both physical and digital environments.
All the materials typically used in a launch of this scale were developed in both printed and digital formats—printed versions for dealerships that had already begun to reopen with flexible hours, and digital versions for general use or for dealerships that remained closed.
The orientation guide (broadside) included a range of information regarding the necessary precautions for store reopening, including the creation of a direct communication channel between the dealership network and the agency for resolving any questions.
The digital materials were designed to make the conversation between salesperson and customer as fluid as a face-to-face interaction, using messaging apps. To achieve this, we thoroughly investigated the digital purchasing journey and proposed communication tools for various stages of the conversation—including in-person encounters.
Results
The launch marked a complete shift in FIAT's merchandising standards during a key moment of brand repositioning.
The digital catalog offered a clear overview of the product, features, and versions; feature videos highlighted benefits and advantages; stickers helped make conversations more engaging and relaxed; the "Work & Play" cubes both informed and entertained; and to close the sale, a groundbreaking digital proposal was introduced, consolidating key information such as trade-in evaluations, pricing, and financing conditions.
The integrated project of physical and digital POS materials empowered salespeople with greater protagonism and enabled more personalized communication with customers—reaching a more advanced level of content without losing personality or efficiency in the negotiation process.
The integrated development of materials for both the physical and digital journey, each with specific goals, made the dealership environment much more promotional and successfully met all sales targets.
