Fiat's North American
relaunch might have been somewhat shambolic so far but
its Manhattan 'gallery'' concept has won an award from
at key trade publication.
The gallery was named the
Best Pop-up/Brand Pavilion by Event Design
Magazine, showcasing the carmaker’s risk-taking and
unconventional approach to engaging customers. In taking
home a Gold Event Design Award, the Fiat Gallery
beat out numerous high-quality campaigns submitted by
other brands and agencies from across the globe.
Created with its experiential partners, George P.
Johnson and Impatto, the Fiat Gallery was designed to
become a destination for visitors to immerse themselves
in the Fiat brand’s Italian style and heritage and to
experience first-hand the new Fiat 500 and 500 Cabrio.
“We are honored to be awarded by Event Design
Magazine,” said Laura Soave, the head of Fiat in
North America. “As the Fiat brand progressively expands
its presence in the North American market, we will
continue to engage current and potential customers with
highly targeted experiential initiatives that are as
unique as our vehicle and that help to tell the story of
the brand.”
Located in the SoHo arts and fashion district of
Manhattan, the Fiat Gallery aimed to serve as a hub of
entertainment and an engaging, relaxing way to
experience Fiat first-hand. The brand converted a
well-known gallery space into a multi-day, style-driven
cultural and entertainment center marketed to artists,
musicians, designers, authors and other influential
tastemakers and potential customers. The exhibition
showcased the rich heritage of the 500 through a series
of original design sketches and the presence of an
original 500 as well as the new 500 in hatchback and
cabrio versions.
Through social media promotion and word-of-mouth, large
audiences enjoyed daytime events such as artist showings
and test drives of the new 500, while at night the space
turned into one of the city’s hottest music venues,
featuring live acts from well-known DJs to
internationally recognized performers.
The opening of the Fiat Gallery initiative was timed to
occur simultaneously with the start of this year's New
York International Auto Show which took place back in
April.
