Fiat N.A. Splits With Impatto

Fiat North America has ended its relationship with Impatto Custom Marketing, the Southfield, Michigan ad agency that launched the company’s first national advertising campaign for Fiat’s iconic 500 model in the U.S. marketplace this year.

Dianna Gutierrez a rep at Chrysler, which is reintroducing the Italian brand to Americans after an absence of nearly a quarter of a century, said the marketer is “winding down” its relationship with Impatto. The agency, run by founder, CEO Michael D’Antonio, previously worked with Laura Soave, the head of Fiat brand North America, when she was at Ford’s Lincoln marquee.

Gutierrez says there is no timetable to replace Impatto and Fiat’s upcoming ads with Jennifer Lopez were created by another unidentified Chrysler agency. Impatto was behind the “Life is Best When Driven” tag and a commercial using drive-in imagery which boasted “Simply More”.