Today I Learned (TIL)

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TIL about a Fiat Ad that sent out some 50,000 anonymous love letters to young women. Women felt stalked and locked themselves in their apartments. (nowiknow.com)

submitted 2 years ago by Potatos_are_not_friends@lemmy.world to c/til@lemmy.ca

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The notes Fiat sent out were part of a marketing campaign to introduce the Cinquecento to Spanish consumers — the plan was to prime demand with the request “for a couple of minutes [together]” and then, four to six days later, follow up with a letter explaining that the note was from the car company with an invitation for a test drive.

But by the time those notes arrived, the damage had already been done. Women reported the threatening-sounding notes to local authorities. Communities were on the lookout for deranged love-lorn maniacs.

One of the 50,000 targets, though, did end up taking Fiat up on their offer for a few minutes — she asked for her day in court. And she won.

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[–] li10@feddit.uk 0 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Least sexually aggressive Italian company.

[–] Shadow@lemmy.ca 0 points 2 years ago

Eh, more like average.

Bonus fact: Fiat, apparently, didn’t learn its lesson from the 1994 stalker note debacle — at least not immediately, or, perhaps, not internationally. In 2016, Fiat Argentina gave new car owners “a car manual which refers to women as ‘co-pilots’ and men as ‘alpha males’” while also “featur[ing] comments on women’s legs and the length of their skirts,” according to the BBC.