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Ram raises a quick $1 million for farmers with Super Bowl ad

While Chrysler has been behind the Super Bowl's most talked-about commercials for the past few years, this is the first year the automaker has added an element of charity to its marketing plans for the big game.
Chrysler aired a pair of two-minutes ads during the Super Bowl this year, one for Jeep called Whole Again, and the other for the Ram brand called Farmer. As we mentioned earlier in the week, Jeep has promised to give up to $300,000 to the United Services Organization (USO). The brand, whose own history is forever tied to this country's military, will donate $1 for every tweet with the hashtag #joinOSR, or visit to Yahoo.com or the Jeep Operation SAFE Return website.
Ram had somewhat loftier goals, pledging to give up to $1 million to the Future Farmers of America. The plan was to donate $100,000 for every 1 million times the commercial was seen, shared or emailed from its website. Now we have word from Ram brand chief Fred Diaz that the million-dollar goal has been reached less than five days after the ad first aired.

Ram 1500 Mossy Oak Edition ready to hit the woods

Among all the debuts at the Detroit Auto Show next week, Ram will remove the ghillie-suit veil from its 2014 Ram 1500 Mossy Oak Edition, but the truck's bigger - and more fitting - debut will take place later in the week at the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show in Las Vegas. The new Mossy Oak Edition is aimed at hunting, camping and fishing enthusiasts, and it will go on sale within the next couple of months with a base price of $39,985, not including $1,195 for destination.
With plenty of accolades already in the bag for 2013 (including Motor Trend Truck of the Year and Truck of Texas), the 2014 Ram 1500 is definitely getting plenty of attention, and the new camouflage job from Mossy Oak should help get a few more eyeballs on this truck. Starting with the Ram 1500 4x4 Crew Cab Outdoorsman, this special edition is only offered in three exterior colors - Black, Black Gold or Prairie Pearl (shown above) - to go with the Mossy Oak camouflage along the lower edges of the body as well as the upper edge of the cargo bed. Unlike the previous Mossy Oak Edition (2011-2012), buyers can now opt for the innovative RamBox system in which to store plenty of hunting, camping and fishing gear.
Inside, there's more camo on the center stack and door panels, and the headrests are embroidered with the Mossy Oak logo. Like the Outdoorsman, the Mossy Oak Edition comes standard with cloth seats in two available colors, but it adds in a new option: Katzkin leather in Espresso Tuscany with the Mossy Oak logo embroidered into the seatbacks. Scroll down for more information on the 2014 Ram 1500 Mossy Oak Edition.

Here's why automakers roll out those Texas-themed pickup trucks

Every year, automakers with a full-size truck link make a big show of the Texas State Fair, usually involving a reveal of a new model. Sometimes they show a whole new truck, and other times a special edition centered on the Lone Star state. While some people might write this off as a quirk of the industry, others might be wondering, "What's the big deal with Texas?" As it turns out, part of the big deal with Texas is big truck sales. According to Dave Sullivan, product analysis manager at AutoPacific, Texas buys more trucks than any other state in the country. It's not a small margin either. Edmunds.com, one in five trucks sold in the US are sold in Texas. The state also accounts for 15 percent of the country's large truck sales, which is more than twice that of California, the second largest truck market in America. Even when you break down sales only in Texas, trucks are a huge piece of the pie - Sullivan says that a quarter of new vehicle sales in Texas are trucks. One in five trucks sold in the US are sold in Texas. But it's not just sales that make truck builders give attention to Texas. As Sullivan explained, "Pickups are life in Texas." Both he and Hugh Milne, marketing and advertising manager for the Chevy Silverado line, said that trucks are key fixtures in Texas society, as both work trucks and luxury vehicles (or Texas Cadillacs as Milne called them). Milne said Texas is so important in the truck market that if you want to be successful in the rest of the country, "you've got to be successful in Texas." As for the State Fair, it has become a prime location for reveals in part because of the importance of the Texas market and because of how big the fair is. Milne also revealed that the State Fair also hosts its own auto show, so it's an ideal venue for a vehicle introduction. So there you have it. Why do truck builders obsess over Texas? It's because Texas obsesses over trucks. When you have one market that loves your product that much, you give it the attention it deserves. Related Video: Image Credit: Donovan Reese via Getty Images Auto News Marketing/Advertising Chevrolet Ford RAM Truck f-150 texas state fair