FIAT's marketing campaign : 'The driving force behind the World Cup'?
FIAT's national 'World Cup promotion week' took place for a week from Monday 7th May 1990. FIAT dealers displayed prominent promotional materials in the showroom windows, played all matches on strategically placed televisions and had various local and national competitions running. Visitors were given 'Make the Match World Cup Souvenir Guide and Fixture List', CIAO t-shirts or '20 Golden Years of the World Cup 1966-1986' on VHS and children could enrol on a local Bobby Charlton 'Soccer Skills Course'. Nationally the free to enter 'Make-the-Match' competition offered the chance to win two tickets to the final including three nights full board accommodation and return air-tickets to Rome. Runner-up prizes of an autographed football by 'an array of football favourites including Bryan Robson' and colour televisions were also available.
The climax was an 'Italia 90 day' day across all dealerships on Saturday 19th May 1990 with beat the team table-top football, guess the amount of balloons in an Italia 90, a selection of Italian food, champagne, and a national spot the ball competition to win an Italia 90 Panda. The winner of this competition was from Anglesey in North Wales, and the competition car (H447 KEY) was supplied to the winner by the FIAT dealer in Cemaes Bay on 01 August 1990; the winner electing to wait until the new registration day to get the car on a new 'H' registration.
