04.06.2002  LANCIA THESIS EMBARKS ON PRE LAUNCH MODEL AWARENESS CAMPAIGN

Our aim is to tell you about the Lancia Thesis. And more: to remind you of the world of values that brought the model into being - and the world that it embodies. To highlight the ways in which the car's personality is expressed and the ways it distinguishes itself from the competition. In short, to show potential customers that even cold state-of-the-art automotive engineering can express that inimitable, world-renowned Italian art of living.
The actual model launch was therefore preceded by numerous initiatives to give the Thesis an opportunity to lay public claim to all the values of style, prestige, class and exclusivity encoded in the Lancia DNA.

We chose to show it off, for example, against the backdrop of historical homes that are not normally open to the public, such as
Villa La Mattarana in Verona, Villa Pignatelli in Naples, Palazzo Bentivoglio-Pepoli in Bologna or Villa Contarini in Padua. A hand-picked audience (300 people over seven evenings) was then invited to those exclusive environments to watch talk-shows where - variously - Enrico Mentana discussed the art of experiencing beauty with Francesca Neri, Beppe Severgnini talked to Edward Luttwak about the Italian art of living as seen by a non-Italian, and Michele Mirabella sought out the art of distinguishing flavours with the aid of Gualtiero Marchesi and the art of living with style with Ferruccio Ferragamo.
Over the next two days, the invited guests were able to collect cars for a test drive. These road tests proved very popular and the offer was later taken up by many others (3800 in total). They gave us an opportunity to introduce our product to the owners of Lancia cars (45%) and also the owners of prestige cars of other brands (55%).
Acclaim for the car was unanimous and it won particular appreciation for its interior, finish and equipment. Not to mention the noiseless passenger compartment, the braking system and the manoeuvrable gearbox. Customers showed a decided preference for the 2.4 JTD version, chosen in 63% of cases, followed by the 3.0 V6 24v CAE (23%), the 2.0 20v turbo (14%) and the 2.4 20v (5%).
The car was then test-driven at Imola by 200 fleet managers from throughout Europe. Most of these (75%) were so impressed by the idea of the model as a fleet car that they requested a second test drive.

Meanwhile, on the international front, the Lancia Thesis was presented at the fifth Snow and Symphony Music Festival held in St. Moritz during the second half of March. This event was attended by a sophisticated audience who saw 17 concerts by world-renowned artistes such as the mezzo-soprano Vesselina Kasarova and the sixteen-year old Russian violin prodigy Sergey Khachatryan - and also had a chance to meet Lancia's flagship. The vehicle was shown off in the three most prestigious hotels in St. Moritz for ten days, while a selected group of guests (entrepreneurs, professionals and dealers) were able to discover the car's strengths and appreciate its attributes at first hand over two weekends: i.e. during a series of test-drives and the limousine service that Lancia offered its guests.
All these road-tests have also been complemented by static presentations where the Thesis is showcased to allow its audience to admire it and see it at close hand. Since last December, for example, the Lancia flagship has been exhibited in Via Montenapoleone, Milan - the Mecca of Italian style.
This initiative took us to the very heart of the world of the Thesis, its customers and their lifestyle, as expressed by their choice of products. And these same customers demand the same standards when they travel and move around, for work or pleasure.
Italians want their top-quality cars to offer engineering and performance but also design, fine materials with a quality feel, cushioned silence, accessible comfort, driving satisfaction and the pleasure of being driven.

It is a car devoted to those who choose products of taste in all fields and who share the same will to stand out from the crowd and the same Italian flair as the Thesis. Just cast your eye over the list of promotional items and you will see what we mean. All the items are developed exclusively by leading companies within their own sectors so that Thesis customers can confirm their affiliation to the Lancia brand spirit during everyday life.
The range includes silk and cashmere clothing by Ermenegildo Zegna, Aurora pens, a Longines mechanical clock, bags and belts created using the best Italian craft leatherworking tradition.
Now you can surround yourself with fine, beautiful items, wear them, possess them and drive them.
Now you are beginning to see how our customers buy into a whole lifestyle instead of just a car. And this means meeting their needs: we are prompt, efficient, discreet and give you the standard of service you are accustomed to, whether it be in the office and restaurant or at home.
The Lancia Thesis offers a virtually all-inclusive warranty that lasts three years (or 100,000 kilometres), help from the Executive Contact Center and home delivery: your new car today and a courtesy car tomorrow.

We know we are not the only ones to offer this service. Other prestige cars offer similar benefits, but the difference is that the Thesis offers more quality. In other words: fast responses, skilled staff and the assumption that you should not not be put in a position where you have to ask for anything in the first place.
It is no coincidence that Lancia has invested six million euros to train the people who work on the Thesis. The outcome was an 18 month plan that involved nearly four thousand people and led to 87 thousand hours of training: in the classroom, in the dealership and via the Internet.
After all these hours of preparation, the new model is finally ready for sale. Its launch will be opened - as ever - by an advertising campaign where the car have another opportunity to shine. The true media launch will be preceded by an advertising campaign that will also go out in the name of the Lancia Thesis but describe the Italian art of living instead of the actual car.

The campaign will feature outstanding exponents of leadership and technological innovation: Renzo Piano, architect and ambassador for values of design, technological innovation and material quality; Giorgio Armani, stylist and proponent of elegance, aesthetic emotion and discipline; Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, chairman of Ferrari, representing the business world.