I’m Going Bonnie and Clyde Without You How Avicii influenced the final MiTo TV campaign I’m normally happy to be tures of the following years, in- proved right. Not in an arro- cluding hundreds of podcasts in gant way I hope; I think we all which he became known for re- like it when something we hope leasing new work. is true is actually proven to be a In August 2016, Avicii per- fact. formed his last live performance But writing this gives me no in Ibiza before announcing he happiness really. It’s actually was retiring from touring due to quite sombre and melancholic. ill health. It was becoming clear I wanted to share the story that both his physical health and with you as I know some of you his mental health were suffering like little factoids about the enormously and the stress he felt MiTo history, but don’t expect to perform live was more than he this short tale to particularly could cope with. cheer you up. Avicii continued working tire- Some of you will have heard lessly in the studio including his of the Swedish DJ and songwrit- collaboration with Rita Ora on er, Tim Bergling. Many more of “Lonely Together” in 2017. It is you will have heard his profes- believed there are still in the re- sional name, Avicii. gion of 200 unreleased songs, Despite being terrifically old, many already finished, that Avicii I love the music of Avicii. His created before his death. 2011 track “Levels” became a Tim Bergling killed himself on worldwide hit that you would 20th April 2018 at the age of 28, almost certainly recognise. the cause of death being blood Songs like “Wake Me Up”, “Hey loss through self-inflicted injuries Brother”, “The Nights”, with a broken wine bottle, but “Without You”, “Waiting for the real cause of death was of Love” and “I Could Be The One” course his mental health. are synonymous with Avicii. Known as being a genuine, Between 2008 and 2012, natural, shy, humble, even naïve Tim performed at over 500 live young man, he struggled for released, it’s going to be insane… nounced the end of production shows including headlining Ul- years with balancing his personal Tim is going to die. With all the of the MiTo on Monday 29th tra in 2012 which was the be- life and love of music with the interviews, radio tours and every- January 2018, giving just a few ginning of his Arena touring in demands of performing in front thing, he’ll drop dead”. I doubt days notice before factory or- the following years. Collabora- of thousands of people. neither Ash or Tim knew the reali- ders ceased on 2nd February tions with David Guetta, Nicky When Tim was still only twen- ty of what his life was to become. 2018. Romero, Coldplay, Madonna, ty-one, his manager Arash “Ash” Just before the tragic death of Amongst the reasons for the and Lenny Kravitz were all fea- Pournouri said “When Levels is Tim Bergling, Alfa Romeo an- end of the MiTo were, of course, Copyright © 2019 Alfa Romeo Owners Club | MiTo Register www.mitoregister.com I’m Going Bonnie and Clyde Without You How Avicii influenced the final MiTo TV campaign reducing sales and growing seemed a bit misleading to me. volumes of un-sold MiTos But the most important aspect across Europe. Why such short was the use of the Avicii song notice for no longer taking or- shortly after his death. “Without ders for a new MiTo? Because You” is a powerful song, and Alfa there were already hundreds used a short edited version of and hundreds of MiTos in ports the chorus: and at dealers which Alfa want- I’ve gotta learn how to love without you ed to sell instead of making I’ve gotta carry my cross without you more that might sit for years. Stuck in the middle and I’m just about to Alfa Romeo launched several Figure it out without you initiatives to move MiTo stocks, And I’m done sitting home without you F*** I’m going out without you. from new discounts and fi- nance options in Europe to re- Under any normal circum- packaging the un-sold Veloce stances, there is no way a com- models into the Veloce S. mercial entity (and certainly not Well it turns out that this is Mito and left the lyrics intact But Alfa Romeo needed a one as big as FCA) would allow a exactly what it was. I have it on assuming it would be spotted marketing campaign and TV TV commercial to pass with an extremely good authority from further up the chain of com- promotion to drastically reduce expletive in it. And for it then to one of the team in Italy that this mand at which point the team huge stocks of the base-model be broadcast and featured on the was indeed a small attempt to see would simply act shocked and MiTo, named “Urban” on main- Alfa Romeo Youtube channel and the MiTo off in style whilst also remove the lyrics. But nobody land Europe. So a new TV com- Facebook pages is unthinkable. recognising the loss of Avicii, and ever noticed. Or at least, no- mercial was commissioned and I said at the beginning of this whilst I will never name the indi- body ever came back to the the marketing teams at Alfa story that I am normally happy to vidual, they were clear that the team insisting it was changed. Romeo went to work, with the be proved right. On this occa- management levels within Alfa So I am not happy to be right. final TV spot launching in June sion, I posted on our MiTo Regis- Romeo and FCA had not only lost But I am delighted that this little 2018 featuring Avicii’s track ter Facebook group that I had interest in marketing the MiTo piece of marketing output from “Without You”. found this commercial with an F- (they just wanted stocks sold), but the teams within Alfa Romeo When I first saw the video, word still in it, so either it was a they never really listened to the was both deliberate, thoughtful two things struck me. Firstly, it huge mistake by FCA or, I sug- lyrics or checked the outputs of and, dare I say, romantic. It’s was promoting the MiTo Urban gested, perhaps the romantic in the marketing teams. So they also not a secret any more... (the base model) with video of me wanted to believe that this simply (and quite deliberately) You can watch the TV ad on a Tornado Blue top-of-the- was a poignant last hurrah by the used the Avicii track in honour of our Youtube channel or search range Veloce (with the Veloce Italian marketing teams at the the tragic death of Tim Bergling Youtube for “Alfa Mito Urban” badging removed). That demise of the MiTo. alongside the sad demise of the and you will find it. Copyright © 2019 Alfa Romeo Owners Club | MiTo Register www.mitoregister.com .