Ram brand starts heavy-duty marketing in U.S. with Sam Elliott.

Ram brand starts heavy-duty marketing in U.S. with Sam Elliott.

DETROIT -- The Ram truck brand is launching its first full-scale advertising and marketing campaign for the 2010 Ram Heavy Duty pickup.

The new campaign is part of Chrysler Group's strategy to separate Ram from the Dodge brand.

The campaign will emphasize the American virtues of the Ram HD and its can-do capabilities. The ads feature prominently the HD's designation as the Motor Trend magazine Truck of the Year.

The campaign was created by The Richards Group, a Dallas advertising agency.

Television commercials will feature the deep voice of character actor Sam Elliott, who has been in a number of cowboy movies and Gettysburg.

Said Fred Diaz, CEO of the Ram brand: “The reasoning behind the separation between the Ram and Dodge brands is starting to resonate. There's a distinct separation between what Dodge means and what Ram means.”

Regional events

The Ram marketing campaign will combine ads that feature the truck's image along with the information about product attributes that dealers like, said Olivier Francois, Chrysler's head of marketing.

The Ram also will be appearing at more than 30 regional events this spring and summer as part of a campaign to connect with customers.

Diaz, who is also Chrysler Group's lead sales executive, said the company was committed to backing the truck with plenty of marketing muscle.

“Ram accounts for nearly a third of our shipments” and 30 percent of revenues, he said. “It is a mainstay of this corporation, and we will not back down.”

Diaz declined to say how much Chrysler will spend on the Ram campaign, but he said the company will focus more marketing resources on advertising for all vehicles. Chrysler is trying to shed its reputation as an incentive-driven, bargain-basement carmaker.

“Our focus is to spend a lot more on advertising than on incentives,” Diaz said. “We'll spend the lion's share on media and advertising and a minimum on incentives.”

Sam Elliott with his deep voice will be featured in the Ram television commercials