Ford Rival Ram In Hot Water With Police Over Dumb Marketing Stunt

Ford rival Ram has made a flurry of announcements in recent months, all part of the brand’s marketing strategy that comes after its parent company – Stellantis – has faced its fair share of well-documented struggles as of late. Aside from bringing back V8 power to many models, these announcements include things like Ram’s decision to return to the NASCAR Truck Series, as well as rolling out a new 10-year, 100,000-mile powertrain warranty. However, the latest marketing campaign from Ram has gotten the automotive brand in a bit of hot water with authorities.

This all started at the recent Roadkill Nights event in Pontiac, Michigan, where Ram brought out a mechanical bull thrill ride named the “Bucking Hemi,” which was designed to celebrate the return of that particular powerplant. However, when the ride was being disassembled following the conclusion of that event, Stellantis reported that it was stolen, and the Ram brand even put out a press release asking fans and law enforcement for help recovering the stolen bull.

A mere two days later, Ram put out another press release stating that the Bucking Hemi wasn’t actually stolen, but rather, “was mistakenly taken by one of the show contactors, who realized the error after media coverage brought it to their attention.” Trouble is, authorities are now casting a bit of doubt on this particular claim, according to the Detroit Free Press. “Well, it may indeed have been BS,” said Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard.

Bouchard stated that the “theft never occurred,” expressing frustration over the fact that his department had to waste time and resources to help locate it. “The company never actually lost the bull,” Bouchard said. “I find this to be very frustrating and a tremendous waste of valuable investigative time. Now, we’re pivoting to see if a crime was committed by the filing of a false police report.”