Dodge Brand, Actor Danny Trejo and Southern California Dodge Dealers Expand ‘It’ll Test You’ Marketing Partnership to Include Donations to Local Nonprofit A Walk on Water

September 21, 2015 , Los Angeles -  Dodge is bringing its popular “It’ll Test You” Hispanic marketing campaign to life in southern California as the brand announces an expanded partnership with campaign star Danny Trejo that includes a significant donation to and new partnership with A Walk on Water (AWOW) nonprofit organization and an innovative test drive program that will result in increased donations to the charity.

Dodge pledged a donation up to $25,000 to A Walk on Water, an organization that shares the therapeutic powers of the ocean with those in need, and gave AWOW an initial check for $20,000 at a September 17 Los Angeles event. The brand also announces a test drive program at participating southern California dealerships, where Dodge will donate $50 to AWOW for each test drive taken, up to an additional $5,000. Customers participating in the test drive receive two free tickets to the October 3 Supersonico Latin music festival taking place at the Hollywood Palladium.

“We always knew that Danny Trejo’s tough persona, strong character and perfect mix of both muscle and fun made him the ideal spokesperson for Dodge’s 'It’ll Test You' campaign, as he epitomizes the irreverence and dare-to-be-different attitude of the Dodge brand,” said Juan Torres, head of multicultural advertising, FCA US LLC. “We learned about the other side of Danny when we met him – his philanthropic work and his passion for A Walk on Water – which made it easy for Dodge and our dealers to support Danny in his efforts to generate awareness and funds for this wonderful organization.”

Four southern California Dodge dealerships will conduct “It’ll Test You” test drives, with Dodge donating $50 to A Walk on Water for each test drive, up to $5,000.  Participants taking the test drives receive two free tickets to the October 3 Supersonico festival.

Test drives take place:
2-7 p.m., Thursday, September 24 at Champion Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram of Downey, 9655 Firestone Blvd.
3-8 p.m., Friday, September 25 at Premier Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram of West Covina, 298 N. Azusa Ave.
3-8 p.m., Monday, September 28 at Van Nuys Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram, 6110-6114 Van Nuys Blvd.
3-8 p.m., Tuesday, September 29 at Alhambra Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram, 1100 W. Main Street

Dodge is a title sponsor of the Supersonico music festival which was founded by Cookman International. The event takes place Saturday, October 3, at the historic Hollywood Palladium and features a mix of classic and cutting-edge Latino-focused music, local art, food and crafts. 

This summer, Dodge launched the new “It’ll Test You” Hispanic advertising campaign for the 2015 Dodge Challenger, Dodge Charger and Dodge Dart, featuring actor Danny Trejo (“Machete,” “From Dusk Till Dawn,” “Once Upon a Time in Mexico”). The Spanish-language campaign consists of three spots airing in both 30- and 60-second versions. The first spot, “El Trato” (“The Deal”), began airing in June and was followed by two other spots running in U.S. Hispanic media, as well as digital and social initiatives. All spots are available on the Dodge brand YouTube channel.

About A Walk on Water
A Walk on Water is a family of watermen sharing the therapeutic powers of the ocean with those in need. AWOW's primary goal is providing relief to families of children with special needs through “surf therapy” (water therapy through guided surf instruction). Surfing is used as a tool to build self-confidence and provides therapy via repetitive wave motion. Children experience the true “stoke” of surfing and a sense of accomplishment as family and friends cheer them on from the beach. Brothers and sisters (and even parents!) participate together, helping to solidify a sometimes strained bond between siblings. AWOW surf events focus on both the athletes and their families, who are treated to a well-deserved day of relaxation, healthy meals and support.

About Supersonico
Supersonico is a cutting edge multigenre, multilingual music festival in Los Angeles presented by Cookman International, the parent company to Nacional Records and the LAMC. The first installment of the festival proved it to be a necessary new venture, welcoming 10,000 cutting-edge Latin music lovers to downtown Los Angeles and a diverse lineup, including Café Tacvba, Calle 13, Ana Tijoux and many more. The second edition of the festival moves to Hollywood on October 3 at the historic Hollywood Palladium and will feature fan favorites and underground gems from the Latin Alternative world and beyond. Alongside the music, there will be local art, food, and crafts.

About Danny Trejo
Danny Trejo has had a prolific career in the entertainment industry. His road to success has been hard earned and anything but typical, from imprisonment to helping young people battle drug addiction, to acting and producing. Trejo has starred in dozens of films, including “Desperado,” “Heat,” the “From Dusk Till Dawn,” “Con Air,” “Once Upon a Time In Mexico,” the “Spy Kids” movies, “Grindhouse,” “Machete,” “Machete Kills,” “Dead In Tombstone,” and “Muppets Most Wanted.” Danny’s recent television work includes his first series regular role on the FX show “Saint George,” as well as an appearance on “NCIS: Los Angeles.” He has had recurring roles on “Sons of Anarchy” and “King of the Hill,” and has appeared on episodes of “Franklin and Bash,” “Bones,” “Modern Family,” and “Breaking Bad.” Trejo also lent his voice to producer Guillermo Del Toro and director Jorge Gutierrez for the Golden Globe nominated animated film “The Book of Life” as the character Skeleton Luis. He can currently be seen in the Super Clio Award winning Snickers commercial, where he plays the blonde high school student, Marcia Brady. Most recently, Trejo reunited with Robert Rodriguez for season two of El Rey’s TV series “From Dusk Till Dawn.”
 
Dodge//SRT
For more than 100 years, the Dodge brand has carried on the spirit of brothers John and Horace Dodge. Their influence continues today as Dodge shifts into high gear with a lineup that delivers unrivaled performance in each of the segments in which the brand competes while moving forward to a future that includes electrified muscle in the form of the next-generation, all-new Dodge Charger.

The next-generation Dodge Charger electrifies a legend, with the Charger retaining its title as the world’s quickest and most powerful muscle car led by the all-new, all-electric 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack. The all-new Dodge Charger will also offer performance choices via multi-energy powertrain options including the 550-horsepower Dodge Charger SIXPACK H.O., powered by the 3.0L Twin Turbo Hurricane High Output engine.

Dodge also keeps its foot on the gas as a pure performance brand with the 710-horsepower Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat, the most powerful SUV ever, and best-in-class standard performance in the compact utility vehicle segment with the Dodge Hornet.

Dodge is part of the portfolio of brands offered by leading global automaker and mobility provider Stellantis. For more information regarding Stellantis (NYSE: STLA), please visit www.stellantis.com.

Follow Dodge//SRT and company news and video on:
Company blog: http://blog.stellantisnorthamerica.com
Media website: http://media.stellantisnorthamerica.com
Dodge brand: www.dodge.com
Direct Connection: www.DCPerformance.com
DodgeGarage: www.dodgegarage.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/dodge
Instagram: www.instagram.com/dodgeofficial
Twitter: www.twitter.com/dodge and @StellantisNA
YouTube: www.youtube.com/dodge, https://www.youtube.com/StellantisNA