Chrysler's Ram Truck introduces rugged new ad campaign

DETROIT (Reuters) - Chrysler will introduce on Friday a new set of television commercials to promote the rollout of its redesigned primary pickup truck, the Ram Truck 1500, which appears at U.S. dealerships this month.

The 2013 Ram 1500 is one of the most important vehicles in the Chrysler lineup. The new commercials previewed for reporters on Monday seek to entice loyal buyers of better-selling pickups from Ford Motor Co and General Motors Co to give the redesigned Ram 1500 a try.

Chrysler's new 1500 will have best-in-class fuel economy of 25 miles per gallon, and that feature is prominent in most of the TV spots shown to reporters.

The advertisements which will also be rolled out in print and online spots, feature the brand's tagline, "Guts. Glory. Ram," which is spoken in all of the U.S. spots by the voice of the Ram brand, rugged and gravely voiced movie star Sam Elliott.

Ram truck broke away from the Dodge brand after Italy's Fiat SpA took over management of the No. 3 U.S. automaker in 2009.

Fred Diaz, head of the Ram Truck brand and chief of all Chrysler brands in Mexico, said the separate identity for the trucks makes it easier for marketing to specific national and regional audiences.

Diaz said that the fact that the new 1500 is being introduced now gives Ram Truck a chance to gain more share from its GM and Ford pickup truck rivals as the newest truck on the market until GM's new Chevrolet Silverado launches sometime in the middle of next year.

About 17 percent of Ram Truck buyers are Hispanic, said Diaz, a fourth-generation Mexican-American who was raised in San Antonio.

Diaz introduced several Spanish-language commercials, which feature 17-time Latin Grammy winner Juanes. The spots feature the Spanish-language campaign "A Todo, Con Todo," which means "to everything, with everything."

"This particular audience buys a lot of pickup trucks," said Marissa Hunter, chief of Ram Truck advertising.

Hunter and Diaz said Chrysler is expanding its presence in Hispanic advertising across its brands, but Ram was leading the way.

Autodata Corp reported that through September in the U.S. pickup truck market, Chrysler was taking an 18.1 percent market share, compared to 39.3 percent for Ford's trucks and 34.8 percent for GM's trucks.

(Reporting By Bernie Woodall in Detroit; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/chryslers-ram-truck-introduces-rugged-ad-campaign-190311123--finance.html

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