(December 5, 2012) AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — The Fiat 500 Abarth “Seduction” spot was named “Best TV Commercial” at this year’s D Show held last week in Detroit.

“Seduction” represents the unique characteristics of the Fiat 500 Abarth as a sensual and strikingly stunning model and takes a peek at what happens the first time a customer encounters the race-ready vehicle. The spot ends with a sexy and edgy message, “The Fiat 500 Abarth. You’ll never forget the first time you see one.”

The D Show is an annual event hosted by the Adcraft Club of Detroit dedicated to judging and awarding creativity in Detroit in the most fair and judicious manner. Entries are submitted by advertising agencies and reviewed by out-of-state judges from within the advertising industry.

“It is great to see a video that was created on a shoestring budget and not intended to be shown on television, receive prestigious accolades like the D Show ‘Best TV Commercial’ honor,” said Olivier Francois, head of Fiat Brand Worldwide.

“‘Seduction’ started out as a video supporting a speech and then went viral on the web. Our dealers saw it, loved it and wanted to see it on television. This is a success story of how an auto show video became a Super Bowl commercial hit and continues to grow a fan base and win awards.”

The digital spot titled “Seduction” made its debut at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show to hundreds of journalists and then was posted to the Fiat brand’s YouTube site. Without having ever been aired on television or cable networks, it rapidly spread through the web and gained global attention, exceeding one million views. The commercial first aired on television during the 2012 NFL Championship Game.

“Seduction” was created in partnership with the Dallas-based The Richards Group and can be viewed at the Fiat brand’s YouTube site.

Two more ads were also recognized at The 2012 D Show. Ram Truck brand’s “Code of the West” ad, also created by The Richards Group, received an award in the “Integrated Branding Campaign” category, while Fiat’s “Aurasma” spot created by Doner, Detroit received accolades in the “Innovative Media” category.