The FIAT Brand and Funny Or Die Create Web Series “Neighbors”

July 9, 2014 , Auburn Hills, Mich. -  FIAT Brand North America has launched a web series titled “Neighbors” in conjunction with the comedy video website Funny Or Die. The web series features five webisodes showcasing the 2014 Fiat 500L as it follows the adventures (or misadventures) of a suburban American couple as they interact with their new Italian neighbors. “Neighbors,” which debuted in June on Funny Or Die, was promoted via a custom spot that ran on TBS in addition to targeted media across Turner’s digital portfolio. Fiat’s “Neighbors” will premiere its final two episodes this week on Funny Or Die, which can be viewed at www.funnyordie.com/fiat.
 
"The FIAT brand’s playful personality and Italian heritage give us license to find new ways to tell our brand story. 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,” said Olivier Francois, Chief Marketing Officer - Chrysler Group LLC and Fiat Group Automobiles Head of Fiat Brand. “The reaction to our ‘Backseat Italians’ video proved the power of great content and a passionate fan base that Funny Or Die brings to the partnership. 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.”
 
“Working with FIAT again on this new series has been great,” said Chris Bruss, VP of Branded Entertainment, Funny Or Die. “We are really aligned creatively with FIAT’s brand team and the Doner agency, so it’s a great collaboration. We were able to pick-up where we left off and come up with a fun, creative concept that we knew would resonate with the FIAT brand and our audience.”
 
The web series begins with “The New Neighbors Are So … Italian,” when a middle-age suburban couple gears up to meet the hot, young and stylish Italians moving in to the house next door. The series follows the two couples through a series of four additional episodes: “Espress Lane to Trouble” proves that overdosing on espresso is no way to impress the cool, new Italian neighbor; “Spanking” demonstrates that the threat of being punished by a beautiful woman somehow does nothing to stop the neighborhood boys’ bad behavior; “Gluten Free” brings the American couple over for dinner at the Italian neighbor's home; and finally, “When in Rome” leaves everyone lost in translation when a figure of speech leads to a big misunderstanding.
 
Viewers of “Neighbors” can follow along and join in the conversation on Twitter by using the hashtag #italianneighbors. The posted webisodes currently hold “Funny” rankings by Funny Or Die viewers.
 
“Neighbors” was created in partnership with full-service advertising agency Doner.    
 
In celebration of world soccer fever with cultures coming together all over the world, FIAT is sponsoring “Funny Or Die Soccer Week,” a special weeklong programming event featuring soccer-themed videos and articles, which can be viewed at www.funnyordie.com/soccer.
 
Turner Broadcasting Ad Sales is the exclusive representative for advertising opportunities with Funny Or Die. The strategic partnership provides brands access to premium comedic content, while offering promotional scale with Turner’s portfolio of premium brands like TBS and Adult Swim.   
 
About Funny Or Die
Funny Or Die launched in April 2007 and has become an award-wining top destination for comedy on the web. The site has more than 19 million unique users per month, more than 60 million video views per month, and has grown into a vertically integrated 21st century digital studio that produces high-quality content over numerous platforms, operating a social media and marketing division with more than 8 million Twitter followers, approximately 8.5 million Facebook fans (#1 Comedy Brand on both Twitter and Facebook), and devoted followers on numerous social networking and sharing sites. Funny Or Die has become the “place to be seen” for comedic celebrities and the obvious destination for a daily comedy fix. Funny Or Die's founders are Gary Sanchez Productions (Will Ferrell, Adam McKay and Chris Henchy), Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and Michael Kvamme. Judd Apatow is also a principal partner in Funny Or Die.