Stellantis is undergoing a significant reshuffle in its U.S. advertising strategy, with a review of its key agency partnerships. This move follows the appointment of Raj Register as the new U.S. Chief Marketing Officer in June. As part of this process, Stellantis is revisiting its marketing relationships with five major brands: Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, FIAT, and Ram.
The automaker has confirmed that Doner, part of Stagwell, and GSD&M, an Omnicom agency, will remain on Stellantis’ roster. Doner, which recently won lead agency status for Ram, will continue working with the brand, while GSD&M retains its role handling Dodge. Additionally, GSD&M will now manage marketing for Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, and FIAT as part of this strategic shift.
The review comes at a time when Stellantis is navigating challenges in the U.S. market, including slumping sales and market share losses. Despite these struggles, Stellantis has chosen to proceed with cost-cutting initiatives while refocusing its marketing efforts in an attempt to reverse the sales slump.
Register, who took the helm as Stellantis’ U.S. CMO, explained the reasoning behind the review: “As a matter of standard procedure, we put our agencies through reviews when timing dictates. As a general rule, we are not beholden to the ‘one agency fits all’ model, instead choosing to give interested agencies the opportunity to bid on creative opportunities across our U.S. brands.”
Interestingly, the review did not include the Jeep® brand, which continues to work with Chicago-based agency Highdive. Highdive is known for its successful campaigns, not just with Jeep but also with other prominent brands like Lays and State Farm. Doner, based in Detroit, has also worked with both Jeep and Ram in the past and has recently picked up lead agency duties for Ram following Stellantis’ split from The Richards Group (TRG) earlier this year.
According to MediaRadar data, Stellantis spends the most on Jeep, followed by Ram, which received $184 million in advertising funds in the first nine months of 2024. Dodge received $44 million, Chrysler spent $10 million, FIAT spent $5 million, and Alfa Romeo received $2 million in the same period.
This restructuring comes as Stellantis is working to adapt under the leadership of Chairman John Elkann, who is aiming to boost the company’s U.S. presence and sales while also preparing for the selection of a new CEO in early 2025.
Source: AdAge
