Olivier Francois has a ardour for constructing manufacturers.

Now he will get to bask in it much more because the advertising chief of Stellantis, which mixed the 9 manufacturers of Fiat Chrysler Vehicles he knew nicely with 5 extra from PSA Group.

Francois, identified for formidable Tremendous Bowl advertisements and a knack for mixing musical acts into campaigns at FCA, should juggle advertising methods for an much more numerous set of manufacturers. They arrive with various levels of acceptance relying in the marketplace, so the problem for Francois and his workforce can be to carve an area for every model.

Amongst his prime priorities is to proceed elevating the rugged Ram model, which has been meshing extra luxurious with confirmed work credentials in its haulers. The newest Ram marketing campaign makes use of the Foo Fighters rock band to pitch an inspirational message that honors on a regular basis rock stars similar to dad and mom, coaches and mentors who’ve stepped up through the pandemic.

Francois, 59, spoke with Workers Reporter Vince Bond Jr. in regards to the Ram marketing campaign, the pandemic and the extra accountability that stems from FCA’s merger with PSA. Listed here are edited excerpts.

Q: How does the merger change your advertising technique? Do it’s a must to get extra approvals from completely different individuals now?

A: The entire imaginative and prescient behind Stellantis — what makes it distinctive, what makes it actually distinctive, what makes the worth of Stellantis — is, greater than ever, this home of manufacturers method. We already talked of that previously as FCA, however that’s actually bolstered — it goes additional — with Stellantis.

Now we’ve 14 manufacturers, a few of that are actually, actually iconic in several elements of the world, as a result of in the event you take Europe for instance, Fiat is iconic, Alfa Romeo is iconic, Maserati to some extent. However now we’ve additionally Citroen — very, very iconic in Europe — or Peugeot. That is actually fascinating, the power to domesticate for every model and that is clearly what we have been doing so efficiently at FCA. For somebody like me, who’s so enthusiastic about model constructing — carving a unique house for every model — all that is unbelievable as a result of now I can simply do it with extra manufacturers.

It is really a bit extra work, but it surely makes additionally the work a bit of bit much more fascinating and synergic. My position right here is to create or amplify all of the inventive synergies in an effort to convey to every model the very best they might dream of. Earlier than there have been a bit of bit extra approvals. We have now sort of streamlined and simplified. Truly, it’s clearer and quite simple now.

What was the inspiration for the Ram marketing campaign, and the way did you decide the Foo Fighters for it?

I all the time needed to work with them. They share a whole lot of values with the truck model and they’re very genuine of their relationship.

Dave [Grohl] reached out to us possibly a 12 months in the past. And never as a result of they needed to be featured in a industrial, however as a result of they found a grassroots initiative that we had with Ram, referred to as Ram Band Van, one of many a number of initiatives we had across the model in an effort to convey this concept of “constructed to serve” to life. That particular initiative is that the model loaned customized upfit ProMasters to dozens of up-and-coming bands who’re making an attempt to make it. So that they reached out simply to know extra about this program, and to attach us with different bands that they had been sort of endorsing. Throughout these conversations, we found that their very own story started 25 years in the past when Dave and the Foo Fighters filed into their Ram van to pursue their rock-and-roll dream.

We couldn’t assist however take that chance to say, “Hey, is not there one thing we may do collectively?” It got here very naturally. Collectively, Ram and the Foo Fighters could not solely be capable to shine a light-weight on these bands that we had been making an attempt to assist collectively, however one thing greater. Perhaps we may rejoice the true rock stars on the market, which might be the mothers, the dads, the academics, the coaches, all sort of mentors, who had been serving to the subsequent technology turn out to be the very best they are often.

Do you suppose the pandemic goes to play any position in future campaigns?

I hope not, after having performed a destructive position for a 12 months or so. As you may see on this marketing campaign, we’re not portraying individuals carrying masks. I feel that everybody desires to listen to optimistic tales about what comes subsequent. So I feel that if the pandemic performs a job, it is going to be the position of what stands behind us and must be left behind us.

I feel that now would be the time for optimistic tales, and the way can we be higher than earlier than, impressed by what occurred, take inspiration of what occurred, study from 2020 and 2021, and make a treasure of what we realized. Be extra sustainable, give worth to what actually issues like household, to the human relationship, the easy moments. I feel what most likely will encourage us, as a result of it evokes me, is the worth of the easy issues, like being collectively, celebrating collectively, having a meal collectively, hugging a pal, all of the issues that actually we take with no consideration. And so I feel again to the worth of straightforward issues, and that are actually the values of life — household, love, friendship and, for certain, a extra sustainable method to our each day life and to the planet. So I feel that is what will encourage the subsequent stage of our communication as a result of that is what is going to resonate with our world audiences.

With the chip scarcity hurting manufacturing throughout the globe, are there considerations that there won’t be sufficient vehicles when individuals see these commercials and exit to purchase them?

That is the place the model comes again to the middle of the equation. The model wants instruments. They know what stock they’ve, the place they’ve it, what they should promote, what they should push. Based mostly on this, we’ve an ideal inventive, we’ve an ideal marketing campaign and they’re clearly going to make use of it as a instrument to push what they must promote, the place they’ve it to promote.