(April 6, 2016) AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — The Ram Truck brand has released a new 60-second television ad and long-form video as part of an expanded relationship with two-time Grammy Award-winning country music artist Chris Stapleton. The announcement comes days after Stapleton, one of the hottest artists in country music today, picked up six additional honors during Sunday night’s 51st annual Academy of Country Music Awards (ACM) telecast.

The “Built Here” television spot, which debuted on the April 3 ACM Awards program, and video document Stapleton’s return last month to his former Paintsville, Ky., high school, a trip highlighted by the surprise delivery of $57,000 of new band instruments, two free performances and the unveiling of an outdoor stage constructed by nearly a dozen Ram Nation volunteers, members of a grassroots team of Ram truck owners who help out in their communities.

The instruments were donated by ACM Lifting Lives (the charitable arm of ACM) via its partnership with the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation.

The Ram Truck brand sponsored the Paintsville activities as part of an ongoing relationship with Stapleton that began in 2015 with a series of episodic videos in conjunction with the debut of his “Traveller” album. The videos documenting the two-day return to Johnson Central High School and Traveller webisodes can be seen at www.ramtrucks.com/ramlife.

The Traveller video series tells the stories of Stapleton, who is a Ram truck owner himself, and other owners’ experiences traveling with their trucks. Ram and its partner agency, G7 Entertainment Marketing, created all of the elements and activities that were part of Stapleton’s return to Paintsville.

“While the story of Chris Stapleton may not be widely known, it’s one of pride, dedication and perseverance, all values important to our Ram truck owners,” said Marissa Hunter, director of Brand Advertising, FCA US.

"It was a great opportunity and honor for us to go back to Paintsville with Chris to document his return to the place that built his character and work ethic. In addition to the spot that aired during Sunday’s ACM Awards show, the videos Ram created from this experience will show millions of people the very special town and moments that made Chris the man he is today.”

Tapping into the natural instinct of truck owners to lend a helping hand to family, friends and neighbors when a need arises — just as Ram Nation volunteers and Stapleton did in Paintsville – Ram is asking its owners to share their own stories of what they do in their communities on Instagram and Twitter, using the hashtag #HaulItForward.


 
Set to the music of his hit “Traveller” song, both the “Built Here” TV spot and video follow Stapleton as he drives around his hometown in his personal Ram 2500 truck. Stapleton talks about Paintsville, Ky., as being a place that builds character, a place where strength lives. “This is home. This is where I come from,” he says.

The videos were created in partnership with the Dallas-based agency, The Richards Group, and were directed by Danny Clinch, one of the premier photographers and documentarians of the American music scene. Clinch’s style brought a heartfelt approach to the videos, making the story as authentic as the artist himself.

Ram Truck launched “Ram Nation” in 2015 as a means of bringing together its owners and dealers for disaster relief and community service initiatives. Since its formation, the grassroots volunteer corps of like-minded people have come together in different U.S. cities for initiatives ranging from helping with flood and tornado relief efforts to delivering food and supplies, to building structures like the Johnson Central High School outdoor theater.