Olivier François

Olivier François
Born	(1961-10-04) October 4, 1961 (age 63) Paris, France
Alma mater	Dauphine University Sorbonne University Sciences Po
Occupation(s)	President and CEO Fiat Brand (current) Head of Marketing and Communication of the Fiat Group Automobiles (Former) CEO of Lancia Spa (Former) General Manager Citroën Italy (Former)
Spouse	Arianna Bergamaschi
Children	4 sons

Olivier François (October 4, 1961) is a French business executive and the current CEO of Fiat, Abarth, and DS Automobiles. He is global chief marketing officer for Stellantis, and a member of the company's Group Executive Council, a position he has held since September 2011. Due to his attention to creativity, he has been referred to as "Chrysler's Don Draper".^[1] In 2024, François was inducted into the American Advertising Federation Hall of Fame.^[2]

Early life and education

François was born in Paris, and graduated in 1984 from Dauphine University with degrees in management and marketing from CELSA – Sorbonne University (1986) and in Economy and finance from Sciences Po (1988). Prior to starting his career within the automotive industry, he started his own music label in France, later working in the export business. His passion for music,^[3] together with poetry and photography, accompanies François in his career even nowadays, as witnessed by commercials and special projects in which are involved Jennifer Lopez,^[4] Shaggy and Sting among others.

Career

Citroën

He entered the car business in 1990 when he was hired by Citroën, quickly climbing the ranks within the organization. In 1999, he was asked by the company to move to Denmark, where he was Managing Director of Citroën Denmark A/S. In 2001, he was appointed Managing Director of Citroën Italy.

Lancia

After 4 years as the head of Citroën in Italy, willing for a new challenge, François was approached by Sergio Marchionne, then, CEO of Fiat Group Automobiles, to later become CEO of Lancia Automobiles SPA.

Chrysler

In October 2009, post Fiat Group receiving a 20% stake in Chrysler Group LLC, François was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of the Chrysler brand. He was also the Lead Marketing Executive at the Chrysler Group^[5] with responsibility for marketing strategies, brand development and advertising for the Chrysler Group (Jeep, Dodge, Chrysler and RAM Trucks), as well as that of the Fiat Group Automobiles brands (Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Abarth, Lancia).

FCA

In 2011, he was named chief marketing officer of the FCA Group and head of the Fiat Brand, as well as becoming a member of the Group Executive Council (GEC). Since becoming chief marketing officer, François splits his time between Auburn Hills and FCA's Italian headquarters in Turin. As well as chief marketing officer for the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Group, he is also president of the Fiat Brand Global.

Car models unveiled

Under his guidance, FCA have achieved some important results: the iconic 500 enlarged its line up with 500L (in 2012) and 500X (in 2014), consolidating 500 as everlasting and iconic car.

During the 2014 Geneve Motor Show an offroad version of Panda, named Cross, was launched: this contributed to keep the model as one of the Italian most sold cars.

In 2015, the new Tipo, a compact car assembled at the Tofaş plant in Bursa, Turkey, was launched. It won the Best Buy Car of Europe Award from Autobest, voted by a panel of 26 journalists from 26 European countries.^[6]

Moreover, in 2016 the 124 spider made its first appearance: it was previously seen at 2015 LA Auto Show. The two passenger roadster recalls, for name and exterior styling, the Fiat 124 Sport Spider designed by Pininfarina and manufactured from 1966 to 1985.

In 2019, the electric Fiat Concept Centoventi, translated as hundred and twenty in recognition of the company's 120th anniversary, was unveiled at the Geneve Motor Show. It “reimagines the Fiat Panda supermini as an electric car for the 21st century”.^[7]

The launch of the Panda Trussardi in 2019 was accompanied by a communication campaign that celebrates its style, changing the rules of automotive communications and positioning the new car as a fashion item. Panda Trussardi features in the video clip of Ava Max's new single "Torn", and the spot is “just” a cut from the video clip. The new commercial was directed by Joseph Kahn who directed video clips for artists such as Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, Sting and Shaggy.^[8]

Advertisements and campaigns

Super Bowl commercials

François has often used the Super Bowl commercials renowned as one of the most expensive advertising slots in the world.

In 2011, he conceived the Eminem-starring Chrysler Super Bowl commercial "Imported from Detroit", a 2-minute homage to the rebirth of the automotive industry within Detroit. The ad won an Emmy Award as “Outstanding Commercial”.^[9]

In 2012, he chose Clint Eastwood for a new Chrysler campaign named “Halftime in America”, which was described by the New York Post as “one of the few touchdowns in last night’s advertising Super Bowl” and by CNN Money as “king of the Super Bowl spots”.^[10]

For the 2014 Super Bowl, François employed Bob Dylan as the testimonial for the launch of the new Chrysler 200. The campaign went further than promoting the car, the brand clearly tried to establish a broader message than the fact that it is associated with Detroit.^[11]

For the 2015 Super Bowl, a new commercial for Fiat 500X was launched, named “the FIAT Blue Pill” campaign. In the spot, a blue pill transforms a classic 500 into the 500X crossover. This commercial was described as “a clever and humorous way to introduce the 500X”.^[12]

For the 2020 Super Bowl, Francois enlisted Bill Murray, who appeared in his first commercial ever for the Jeep® brand, to recreate scenes from the iconic 1993 film Groundhog Day with the Jeep Gladiator. The spot won the coveted USA Today Ad Meter and was nominated for an Primetime Emmy® Award for "Outstanding Commercial."^[13][14]

In 2021, Francois landed music legend Bruce Springsteen for the Jeep brand's Super Bowl commercial. The two-minute TV spot, starring Springsteen in his first commercial for a brand, was a decade in the making, according Francois.^[15]

Other commercials

In 2008, François dedicated a TV commercial for Lancia to Nobel Prize winners. The campaign features some of the major Nobel Prize winners including Lech Walesa, Frederik Willem De Klerk, Mikhail Gorbachev, Tenzin Gyatso XIV Dalai Lama and Aung San Suu Kyi.^[16]

For the 2014 launch campaign of the Dodge Durango, he cooperated with Paramount Pictures and Will Ferrell (as the fictional anchor Ron Burgundy). The commercial was used as marketing campaign for the release of the film “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.”^[17]

In 2016, he worked again with Paramount Pictures, this time cooperating with the star of the film Zoolander 2, Derek Zoolander (played by Ben Stiller) to promote the Fiat 500X. The new spot entitled "Selfie” directed by Jeff Mann was screened for the first time at the Golden Globes ceremony.^[18] The campaign went on to receive a gold award for entertainment by the Clio Awards^[19]

2017 was 60th birthday of Fiat 500: to mark such a special occasion for the brand François enrolled the Oscar winning American actor and producer, Adrien Brody. The film debuted the celebrative special series, the 500 Anniversario.^[20]

In 2018, under François supervision, Fiat choose Christopher Lloyd for the new 500X commercial. Lloyd reprised his role of Back to The Future‘s Doc Emmett Brown to transport a couple from the 60s to the present days, transforming their classic Fiat into the Fiat 500X modern-day incarnation^[21]

In 2019 FCA involved Sting and Shaggy for the new 500X campaign, called “Just one lifetime”, as part of brand 120th anniversary. The campaign was initially conceived as a music video treatment, and it was then re-cut as a 90-second spot.^[22] The song was included in the album [‘44/876’], winning the 2018 Grammy Award, as Best Reggae Album.

More recently, Francois has worked with both Bono on campaigns for the FIAT, Ram and Jeep® brands creating awareness for global pandemics,^[23] including Covid-19, in addition to Leonardo DiCaprio to promote awareness of climate change through the FIAT brand's all-new, all-electric Fiat 500.^[24]

Personal life

François married Italian pop singer Arianna Bergamaschi in 2014. He has four sons.^[25]

Awards

• 2012 Automotive News “Automotive marketer of the year”^[26]
• 2012 AdWeek's “Grand Brand Genius”^[27]
• 2012 AdAge's “Marketer of the year”^[28]
• 2014 Automotive News “Automotive marketer of the year”^[29]
• 2015 Forbes #4 “most influential CMO”^[30]
• 2017 Mediapost/Nielsen's “Automotive CMO of the year”.^[31]
• 2018 Billboard's Powerlist^[32]
• American Advertising Federation Hall of Fame Class of 2024

External links

Olivier Francois on Instagram

References

1. "Chrysler's Don Draper". December 9, 2011. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
2. Lawrence, Eric (May 10, 2024). "Stellantis exec behind Eminem Detroit ad gets Advertising Hall of Fame nod". Retrieved September 5, 2024.
3. "Fiat Chrysler's Olivier François on Why Music Is 'The Best Investment' and the One Artist Who Said No (After the Ad Was Shot)". Billboard. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
4. LLC, Chrysler Group. "The FIAT Brand and Jennifer Lopez Tie the Knot in New Music Video Production". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved June 12, 2019.
5. "Le patron de FIAT Olivier François distingué par Sciences Po à New York". French Morning. May 23, 2016. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
6. "Press Release: AUTOBEST "BEST BUY CAR" 2016 « Autobest". December 15, 2015. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
7. "Fiat Centoventi concept previews future 'electric Panda'". DrivingElectric. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
8. Carrera, Martino (September 18, 2019). "Trussardi Debuts Customized Panda Car". WWD. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
9. "Chrysler's 'Born of Fire' Wins Emmy for Best Commercial". www.adweek.com. September 13, 2011. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
10. Smith, Aaron. "Chrysler is king of the Super Bowl spots". CNNMoney. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
11. Buss, Dale. "'America's Import' Takes Over As Chrysler Theme In Super Bowl". Forbes. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
12. "Fiat taps power of little blue pill in Super Bowl ad". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
13. Schad, Tom. "Jeep, Bill Murray win USA TODAY's Ad Meter with hilarious 'Groundhog Day' commercial". USA TODAY. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
14. "Groundhog Day - Jeep (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles|FCA)".
15. Wayland, Michael (February 8, 2021). "How Jeep landed Bruce Springsteen for its 2021 Super Bowl ad". CNBC. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
16. Patrick, Aaron O. (January 26, 2009). "Fiat Draws Attention to a Cause -- Along With Car". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
17. Buss, Dale. "How Chrysler's Francois Scored Marketing Gold In Will Ferrell". Forbes. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
18. "Fiat's Newest Ad Star Is Derek Zoolander". adage.com. January 10, 2016. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
19. "Zoolander 2 - Zoolander 2 + FIAT 500X". Clios. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
20. "Fiat 500 lands in a museum and on a stamp! | Car News | Auto123". auto123.com. July 7, 2017. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
21. "Fiat goes Back to the Future to introduce its 500X model". The Drum. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
22. Hampp, Andrew (March 12, 2019). "Songs for Screens: How Sting & Shaggy's Grammy-Winning Album Got a Second Life From Fiat". Variety. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
23. Buss, Dale. "Stellantis Creates Jeep, Ram, Fiat Versions For Bono's (RED) Charity". Forbes. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
24. https://www.carscoops.com/2020/03/leonardo-dicaprio-gives-new-fiat-500e-his-full-endorsement/
25. "Arianna Bergamaschi e Olivier François, nozze da favola (veneziana)". VanityFair.it (in Italian). September 18, 2014. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
26. "Chrysler Group Is Ad Age's Marketer of the Year". adage.com. November 26, 2012. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
27. Staff|October 25, Adweek; 2012 .st0{fill:#F7EC13}.st1{clip-path:url}.st2{clip-path:url;fill:#020100} (October 25, 2012). "Brand Genius 2012: Olivier François, Chrysler". www.adweek.com. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
28. "Chrysler Group Is Ad Age's Marketer of the Year". adage.com. November 26, 2012. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
29. "All Stars - Olivier Francois". Automotive News. November 24, 2014. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
30. "4. Olivier Francois". Forbes. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
31. "Fiat Chrysler's Francois Named Automotive Marketer Of The Year". www.mediapost.com. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
32. "Revealed: Billboard's 2019 Branding Power Players". Billboard. Retrieved June 13, 2019.