Ram Ride and Drive
October 16-18, 2018
Sunbelt Ag Expo was the final stop on a successful summer farm show season for Ram Truck and Gordinier Group.
Ag shows are a great way for Ram to take a more grassroots approach to experiential marketing. In contrast to Ram’s auto show ride and drive activations, the guest interactions are longer and more personal at farm shows. While Gordinier Group drivers can’t churn through the staggering numbers of people like at an auto show, it is nice to shift gears and have an opportunity to form more of a bond with the heavy truck-biased demographic and be able to spend more time addressing their questions and concerns. It really feels like the trade-off is worth it.
This year’s tour began in California, hitting 5 total stops before finishing up in Moultrie, GA at Sunbelt. The 2018 2018 tour featured stops at:
World Ag Expo – Tulare, CA
Wisconsin Farm Tech Days – Johnson Creek, WI
Farm Progress Show – Boone, IA
Husker Harvest Days – Grand Island, NE
Sunbelt Ag Expo, Moultrie, GA
The Ram program consists of in interior off-road track surrounded by a perimeter towing track. This allows the team to give guests two different experiences – a ride along over the technical off-road features, piloted by Gordinier Group drivers. Similar to the auto show model, drivers give product specs and explain what the truck is showing on each obstacle.
On the tow track, guests drive and tow the load while GG personnel ride shotgun, answering questions and giving pointers while the guests actually feel the truck’s power and towing capability first hand.
With this model, the consumer experience is genuine and very informative. We are looking forward to getting back to the fields in 2019!
February 13-15, 2018
Ram Trucks had a lot to offer guests of the World’s Largest Agriculture Show, in Tulare, California.
Not only did Ram bring two of the new 2019 1500 DT models for display, but they also offered 2 experiential opportunities – an off-road ride and a towing drive where guests could get behind the wheel to really feel Ram’s towing capabilities. In fact, the headliner of the tow fleet at World Ag Show was a 3500 Limited dually, with the 6.7 Cummins turbo diesel and max tow package. It’s hard to imagine a more capable tow rig. This one was saddled with a Big Tex gooseneck trailer that held a 15,000 lb Case tractor. That sounds like a lot of weight when you factor in the extra weight of the trailer, but with a maximum towing capacity of over 30,000 lbs (and 930 lb. ft. of torque), it was an easy haul. Many guests were shocked at how easily that truck was able to tow that payload and how comfortable it felt doing it.
This year’s show had great weather many interested and enthusiastic farmers, making it a great event for Ram!
The 2017 Ram Farm Show Tour tallied it’s 5th and final summer show at the SunBelt Ag Show in Moultrie, GA.
This year’s tour recorded stops at:
- World Agriculture Expo, Tulare CA (February 13-17)
- Wisconsin Farm Technology Days – Kewaunee, WI (July 11-13)
- Farm Progress Show – Decatur, IL (August 29-31)
- Husker Harvest Days – Grand Island, NE (September 12-14)
- SunBelt Ag Expo – Moultrie, GA (October 17-19)
Of all 5 farm shows in 2017, there was only 1 day that we were unable to drive due to inclement weather – this must be a record!
With friendly weather and the best light and heavy-duty truck lineup in the market, the Ram ride+drive tracks were busier than ever this year. As the focus has been shifting more towards the towing/hauling capability of these trucks, our courses have changed to accommodate more demand there. We still offer an off-road ride course at all shows, but have also added an experiential towing portion to the drive, where guests can get behind the wheel of a 1500, 2500 or 3500 and actually pull a trailer to feel the power, torque and load -handling. Of course, the crowd favorite is the 3500 6.7L Cummins High Output w/max tow that is pulling 30,000 lbs worth of a Case backhoe on a Big Tex gooseneck trailer. How’s that for real-life experience?
Another successful Ram summer ride and drive series has sadly come to an end. The 2015 rodeo and farm show tours saw the best weather and more importantly, the best crowds that we have experienced to date.
This year, both tours saw the addition of the 2015 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel, which was a great addition to the drive fleet! Guests were amazed by the torque, lack of typical diesel noise, and the amazing fuel economy (up to 29 mpg).
As the Ram Trucks brand continues to build momentum and win market share, we continue to see (and welcome) increased interest and participation in the ride and drive events.
Hats off to Ram on another great season!
Rodeo Tour:
Cheyenne Frontier Days – Cheyenne, WY
Colorado State Fair – Pueblo, CO
Oklahoma State Fair – Oklahoma City, OK
Heart O’ Texas Fair – Waco TX
Farm Show Tour:
Wisconsin Farm Tech Days – Madison, WI
Farm Progress – Decatur, IL
Husker Harvest Days – Grand Island, NE
Sunbelt Expo – Moultrie, GA
