Jeep's New CEO Opens With an 85-Year America Play — and the Recon's Ad Debut
Branden Coté's first national campaign as Jeep CEO wraps the brand in 85 years of Americana — and hands the long-delayed electric Recon its advertising debut.
Jeep has a new national ad campaign, "This Is Jeep Country," and it doubles as a statement of intent: it is the first major move from Branden Coté, who took over as brand CEO five weeks ago, and it hands the long-delayed Recon EV its first big advertising platform.
The campaign, which debuted September 9, runs across television, streaming, digital, social, out-of-home, and experiential channels. It was created with Chicago agency Highdive and leans hard on heritage: Jeep traces its roots to 1941 military production and calls America "its very first customer," drawing a parallel between the country's founding 250 years ago and the brand's own 85-year run.
Seven models appear in the spots — Wrangler, Gladiator, Grand Cherokee, Cherokee, Compass, Grand Wagoneer, and the new Recon — filmed across American deserts, forests, mountains, and coastlines, alongside footage shot by real owners. Digital extensions target Hispanic and African American audiences. Notably absent from the listed lineup: the Wagoneer S, Jeep's other electric SUV.
A new boss with a sales problem
Coté became Jeep CEO on August 3, succeeding Bob Broderdorf, who stepped away on medical leave. A former AutoNation brand president with earlier stints at Mercedes-Benz USA and Aston Martin, he inherited the one big Stellantis brand that isn't growing.
Stellantis' US sales rose 5% in the first half of 2026, but Jeep went the other way: down 5% in the second quarter at 140,699 vehicles, and slightly negative for the year. Ram and the Grand Wagoneer carried the recovery, while the new Cherokee, launched at the start of the year, has been slow to ramp, with roughly 10,000 units in six months. A patriotic brand campaign, landing while parent Stellantis serves as the exclusive automotive sponsor of America250, is Coté's opening answer.
The Recon finally gets its close-up
The Recon's inclusion is the most interesting detail. Revealed in 2022 and originally due in 2024, the electric off-roader slipped repeatedly before production was pushed to mid-2026. Jeep detailed the final version last November with a starting price of $66,995 including destination, and the first media drives published just this week — so the campaign puts the Recon in front of a national audience at the exact moment reviews start shaping its reputation.
"Built for a country that never settled for the easy path, every Jeep vehicle embraces challenge, overcomes obstacles and keeps its owners moving forward," Coté said in a statement.
Jeep hasn't disclosed the media spend. The buy includes NFL and other football programming plus streaming on Disney+, Paramount+, Max, and Peacock, so expect to see a lot of it this fall. Whether it moves metal — and whether the Recon finds buyers in a cooled EV market — is now Coté's problem to solve.
