Academy Award-winning director Spike Lee and actor Giancarlo Esposito star in their first-ever national advertising campaign together for the all-new, all-electric Fiat 500e, Stellantis’ first battery-electric vehicle in North America. The advertising campaign, “Italy is Now in America,” directed by Spike Lee and shot by Oscar-nominated cinematographer Matthew Libatique, launched across social media and digital channels on May 1.
Spike Lee and Giancarlo Esposito launch new Fiat 500e ad campaign in the U.S.
“The Fiat 500e returns to the United States as Stellantis’ first BEV and marks the beginning of the brand’s sustainability mission in the US by offering what an electric car should be: light, stylish, efficient, and with enough range for weekly commutes around town,” said Olivier Francois, CEO of Fiat. “Our fully electric city car captures the essence of the Italian lifestyle. This new campaign brings together an iconic duo from diverse backgrounds, legendary Brooklyn director Spike Lee and actor Giancarlo Esposito, who shares his Italian heritage with Spike to show him that La Dolce Vita can be found well beyond Italian borders.”
The campaign brings together Lee and Esposito and is largely unscripted, allowing the two to showcase their natural chemistry and enduring friendship. In the ad campaign, Esposito shares his Italian heritage with Lee, and together with the Fiat 500e, Esposito helps Lee discover his “inner Italian.” Lee and Esposito have known and worked together for over 40 years, collaborating on numerous projects together, including “School Daze,” “Do The Right Thing,” “Mo’ Better Blues,” and “Malcolm X.”
“Italy is Now in America” was recently shown on the Fiat brand’s social media channels. In addition to the launch ad, more than a dozen creative pieces of content featuring Lee and Esposito will circulate on Stellantis’ brand social media channels, extolling the virtues of the legendary 500 in its new electric incarnation.
The Fiat (500e)RED marked the first launch of the 2024 Fiat 500e collection. Two more products were launched last month: the 500e Inspired by Music and the 500e Inspired by Beauty. A new fully electric version of the brand’s legendary and iconic model, the fully electric two-door 500e, is now arriving at US dealerships.