Ram Pickup Ads: Will "The Code Of The West" Revive Flagging Sales?
Having kept a relatively low profile since the disastrous “My Tank Is Full” series of ads, Ram is fighting to help keep Chrysler profitable with a new series of ads highlighting the Ram’s connection to “Wild West” values. And like nearly every bit of advertising approved by Chrysler Group ad boss Olivier Francois, it’s heavy on the hyper-sincere schlock, which makes the spots end up feeling like they’re selling a political candidate rather than a truck. And this just as it seemed like truck ads were slowly moving away from some of their previous cliches. Does doubling down on sincerity and the mythical Western ethos make sense as a way for Ram to catch back up on volume it’s lost over the last few years? Or should Ford’s stunning 50%-ish take rate on EcoBoost V6 engines in F-Series be pointing towards a more pragmatic, consumer-needs-oriented marketing campaign? Watch as many of the ads as you like and be sure to let us know where you see the Ram brand and its marketing effort heading.
More by Edward Niedermeyer
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Silliness. The (DODGE) Ram is a good truck. I am not sure what it has to do with Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg. Although, I guess some of his posse might have called him GUTS. (Pronounced "goots".)
When I think of Dodge trucks, I don't think of farm-bred workhorses. I think of stylized hot rod stuff like the Lil' Red Express, Dakota R/T, Rumble Bee, Ram VTS, and Ram SRT10. I'd like to see Chrysler's ad agency stop taking everything so seriously and bring back the psychedelic "Rapid Transit System" using the RAM Express, Challenger R/T, Charger SRT8, and 500 Abarth.
Being in Toledo, with two plants here, there are a lot of Chrysler vehicles and many Rams running around, both 1500's and 2500 work trucks. A friend of mine, who isn't an employee BTW, just bought a 1500 Big Horn edition. Very nice truck. I would probably still be driving a Ram 1500 if I hadn't hurt my knees badly 4 years ago. It's a very useful vehicle, and I really miss my 2003, every time I pass by it. I don't miss the gas bills though.
All work is honorable and it's nice to see a dying trade like typesetting featured in such sexy detail. But this exemplifies the problem of Chrysler in particular and lots of American makes in general: they're pursuing a shrinking market of those who work with their hands or backs or feet for living, and appealing to their (perhaps imagined) contempt for those earn a living sitting at a desk clicking a mouse. It kind of reminds me of the Hardy's "F**k you, I'm eating!" campaign, showing guys in wife-beater shirts cramming immense burgers in their mouths while pieces of the burger fall around them. The Ram ad is not that gross but the same idea.