Super Bowl "So God Made a Farmer" commercial credited with selling trucks

[Auggie]

3-3-13 / San Francisco Chronicle

After its Super Bowl "So God Made a Farmer" commercial, Chrysler's Ram Truck brand had its best February sales in six years, up 3 percent from February 2012, the auto company reported Friday.

Ram is targeting rural America in a way reminiscent of General Motor's "baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet" ads of the mid-1970s. While still lagging behind other truck brands, such as Chevy's Silverado and the top-selling Ford F-150, the two-minute farmer tribute was Ram's attempt to make inroads with farmers and all things country.

"It was a great spot," said Greg Stern, CEO and co-founder of BSSP, an advertising firm in Sausalito whose clients include Mini Cooper. "Who doesn't respect and root for farmers?"

SNIP

The ad caused a stir, both positive and negative. Some voiced concern that the commercial didn't accurately portray modern farm life and left out minority laborers who often perform the back-breaking work. But most advertising experts hailed the ad as a success.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Chrysler-Ram-s-farmer-strategy-pays-off-4325070.php

I've been in advertising for a long time, so I can say with some credibility that this article is misleading. Any advertising is bound to result in sales. It's not necessarily the content of the advertising but the very factor that "a message" is pushing brand awareness. I've seen crap strategies and ad executions result in high recall and intend-to-buy scores simply for their "being." Run an ad on the Super Bowl, wrap "god" and "farming" around it, and you're sure to lure in a few suckers.

[Warpy]

1. They're not selling 'em to farmers

Farmers mostly buy third hand pickups and they try to stick to the ones that will last forever--Fords.

[Auggie]

2. Yeah -- Farmers aren't suckers

[Rob H.]

3. Yep

My maternal great-great grandfather, great grandfather, and some of my great uncles were farmers, starting back in the 1920s. (One of my uncles still owns part of his late father's farm and leases the land out for growing rice, iirc.) They couldn't afford to buy new vehicles and almost all of 'em drove Fords, now that I think about it. Somewhere in our family photos there's even a shot of my great-great grandfather with his Model T truck.

[Warpy]

4. NM is largely rural

and once you're away from the cities and ski slopes here, all you see are rattletrap Ford pickups held together with wire and duct tape.

I had a Ford Ranger, myself, and that thing was old enough to vote when I finally traded it in. It had needed tires, a brake job and a clutch in the 14 years I owned it. Other than that, it seemed to be indestructible and some good ole boy had owned it before I did, leaving a bunch of .22 bullets in the glove compartment when he traded it in. I imagine it's still on the road somewhere, 7 years later.