Nate Buelow is the VP of Marketing and Digital Transformation at Stellantis, overseeing marketing budgets exceeding $500 million across brands including Ram, Jeep, Dodge, and Chrysler.

He started his career as a digital analyst at a small agency and built a reputation as a marketing multi-tool by deliberately working across industries — from Hilton Hotels to Nationwide Insurance to Merrill footwear — before moving client-side.

In this episode, Nate breaks down what it actually takes to market identity-driven brands at scale, how he helped bring Merrill back to number one in the hiking category, and why the Ram truck ended up as the third main character in the Hollywood blockbuster Twisters.

He also talks about retiring the Hemi engine, listening to customer backlash, and bringing it back — and why he believes authenticity cannot be bought, only built.

Topics covered:

  • How a non-traditional agency background prepared him for a $500M marketing role
  • The strategy behind the Merrill brand turnaround against Hoka and On
  • Why Ram pulled critical YouTube creators closer instead of shutting them out
  • How the Twisters film integration became a full 360 marketing campaign
  • The daily data ritual Nate uses to stay ahead of problems before they escalate
  • How Stellantis approaches personalization and regionalization at scale
  • What makes the RAM REV range-extended EV a new category entirely
  • Why testing without a plan is just noise

Takeaways:

  1. Saying yes to diverse opportunities early in your career builds long-term marketing range
  2. Merrill's turnaround required product redesign, retail partnerships, and intentional influencer strategy
  3. Pulling critics closer gives brands a chance to shape the narrative, not just react
  4. A major film integration becomes most powerful when extended into a full 360 campaign
  5. Daily data review at brand and nameplate level helps teams get ahead of problems
  6. Testing only makes sense when there is a clear plan to scale what works
  7. Listening to customer feedback directly shaped the decision to bring back the Hemi
  8. The RAM REV removes the core sacrifice of EV truck ownership — range anxiety while towing