• by Tanya Gazdik , January 5, 2024

Last year, Ram enlisted actor Jason Jones as the spokesperson in a spot that riffs off of the ubiquitous “Ask your doctor” pharma ads.

Stellantis is continuing its belt-tightening measures and has announced it will not participate in this year’s Super Bowl. 

It’s an unusual move from an automaker that often has not just one, but multiple spots across its brands, which include Ram, Dodge, Jeep, Fiat and Alfa Romeo. 

"With a continued focus on preserving business fundamentals to mitigate the impact of a challenging U.S. automotive market, we are evaluating our business needs and will take the appropriate decisions to protect our North America operations and the company,” according to a statement from a spokesperson. “In light of this assessment, we will not be participating in the Big Game this year.” 

Stellantis CMO Olivier Francois has said in the past that he goes into every new year with the hope of producing a Super Bowl spot, but it is often not determined until very close to the game.  

Last year the automaker had two Super Bowl spots for Ram (“Premature Electrification”) and for Jeep (“Electric Slide”). Stellantis last sat out the Super Bowl in 2022. The automaker also took a hiatus from the game in 2019 when it ran its ads digitally only.

Earlier this week, the automaker announced it would not have a corporate presence in the upcoming Canadian or Chicago auto shows.  Canadian dealers are reportedly planning a display at the Toronto show, but it’s not unknown if it will be on the same scale as the past corporate -funded activations, which included elaborate indoor driving tracks and obstacles. 

General Motors has also announced it is breaking its four-year streak and sitting out this year's Super Bowl. Ford Motor Co. CEO Jim Farley has said in the past he is not a fan of Super Bowl advertising.