Nokia calls on new Fiat 500 for contract hired help

Some really annoying people who try to sell you a mobile phone the minute you pop out of the womb are to be assisted in their persuasive public brow-beating by something else that’s steadily becoming a tiny bit irritating. The new baby Fiat, the 500 supermini.

72 predominantly black-coloured – yet garishly graffiti’d - new Fiat 500 superminis are to be supplied to mobile phone pusher Nokia on a contract hire basis as it rolls out its latest affront on the UK public’s ears and eyes.

A high-profile PR campaign will see a briefed team of ‘Nokia Connectors’ let loose on an unsuspecting society at large over the coming weeks – with the help of the Fiat 500 – to peddle its brand new 6220 mobile phone wares.

18 UK cities are to be targeted by a group of desperate students – dressed up as ‘Brand Ambassadors’ – who will be shuttled out across Britain’s streets, parks, beaches and parties to what Nokia insists will be to ‘help the public unlock the full potential from their phones’. Thoughtful of them. Do they want something in return?

Nokia decided upon the Fiat 500 within minutes of reading the contract hire brief that outlined the proposed vehicle should be a three to six month representation of the mobile phone company’s youth brand image.

So therefore it was only ever going to be a toss up between the Mini, the Smart Fortwo, the Fiat 500 and a G-Whizz. And more student vindication either way.

Car of the Year 2008, the Fiat 500 is rapidly becoming a lifestyle choice for thousands of UK motorists and is seen as indicative of a vibrant, freedom-loving collection of sub 30 demographic who Nokia want to relentless run into the ground. Although not literally.

Fiat 500 models snapped up by Nokia include the 1.2-litre, 1.3-litre and 1.4-litre with Sport or Lounge specification interiors. All engines boast outstanding performance and economy, coupled to ultra-clean green credentials, as best illustrated by the 1.2 Pop version, which scooped top honours in the recent Green Supermini category at the What Car? Green Awards.

Of particular interest to Nokia was the Fiat 500’s residual values being so strong from the outset, with the 1.2-litre Pop model estimated to retain a 47% residual value after three years of ownership.