Man from Paris makes Chrysler Marketer of the Year in America
The Chrysler group has been named by AdAge magazine as America's marketer of the year. - and the man getting the credit is Frenchman Olivier Francois.
In October 2009 Sergio Marchionne, chairman of Fiat chairman and Chrysler Group, invited Francois to visit him in Michigan - and move from president-CEO of Fiat's Lancia brand to head of marketing of Chrysler.
Through the rain falling outside, Francois saw a city that impressed him with its spirit and attitude. Francois said his "fresh set of eyes" allowed him to see that "America had a story to tell that was bigger than any cup holder, bigger than any Columbus Day sales event."
This, said AdAge, was the earliest seed of Chrysler's now-iconic messaging drawing parallels between the comeback of the gritty, tough city of Detroit and the once-troubled car giant.
Chrysler Group held 8.9% market share when Francois took over marketing; it's now at 11.5%. Chrysler's brand-loyalty rate -- the number of Chrysler owners who purchased another Chrysler vehicle - has doubled from 15% in the third quarter of 2009 to 30% in the second quarter of 2012.
Prints of the Chrysler campaign, including Francois's signature "Imported from Detroit," hang in the office of the Paris-born executive. He said the "Born of Fire" ad featuring Eminem that aired during the 2011 Super Bowl and "Halftime in America" for the 2012 Super Bowl provided continuity, communicating the theme of the pride of being an American and of being part of a new Chrysler.
Francois believes that telling that compelling story is what made the ads successful. Not that all of the Francois' ads were well-received. The Jennifer Lopez ad for the Fiat 500 "was outright horrible," said one commentator.
John Jay, global executive creative director of Wieden & Kennedy, which produced "Born of Fire," "Halftime in America" and "The Things We Make, Make Us," said that to Francois, nothing is impossible. His agency wanted Eminem's music. Francois not only got the rights to it, he secured Eminem as well. Jay sisn't think Clint Eastwood would agree to the 'Halftime in America" commercial, but Francois got him too. Once Francois is convinced of the idea, "he goes out to help make magic happen," Jay said.
Francois is now looking forward to the 2013 Super Bowl ad, revealing only that the final campaign will be truthful to the message and nature of the brand and "not just a device."