Neighbors — a comedy series highlighting the interactions and miscommunications between a middle-age suburban couple and their new Fiat-owning, Italian neighbors — is the latest project from Fiat Brand North America’s partnership with comedy video website Funny or Die.
The new Web series takes an alternative approach to advertising by building on the connection between viewers and the Fiat brand in the form of humor. The first episode, “The New Neighbors Are So … Italian,” starts off with a conversation between Frank and Liz, a middle-age couple commenting on the new sexy Italian neighbors, and ends with Frank heading over in his bathing suit to greet them.
And whether it’s trying to impress the new neighbors by consuming excessive amounts of espresso or taking an impromptu trip to Rome because of a language misunderstanding, the exchanges between the couples in Neighbors are comical because the content is relatable.
“The Fiat brand’s playful personality and Italian heritage give us license to find new ways to tell our brand story,” says Olivier Francois, head of Fiat Brand for Fiat Group Automobiles.
The launch of Neighbors follows the success of last year’s Backseat Italians campaign, which also ran on Funny or Die.
“Partnering with Funny Or Die, which has a huge built-in fan base and social media following, has proven to be a winning formula for us,” Francois says. “Since the launch of this latest series of videos, we’ve seen an uptick in Web traffic, and this deeper engagement with our brand ultimately leads to Fiat Studio visits.”
To watch the five-episode series — the last two webisodes will premiere this week — visit funnyordie.com/fiat.
