“Common Ground”
When RAM, the most common truck brand found on America’s farms and ranches, asks you to develop their annual poignant, salt-of-the-earth styled Thanksgiving Day TV spot, you’ve got to aim high…really high.
While not technically a UX or product piece, "Common Ground" for RAM remains one of my proudest examples of high-level conceptual thinking and emotionally resonant writing.
Background
It’s Giving Thanks
As the most common truck brand on America’s farms and ranches, RAM needed a Thanksgiving Day spot that could speak to a divided country with empathy and authenticity. Drawing inspiration from the Overview Effect—a psychological shift astronauts experience when viewing Earth from space—I was struck by the idea that rivers resemble veins, suggesting a deeper connection between land and people.
Our creative team juxtaposed aerial and satellite imagery of the American landscape with macro portraits of farmers, families, and rural workers to reinforce a powerful truth: to the soil, we’re all the same.
The Spot
Behind the Scenes
Moral of the Story
This award-winning spot reminded me of something core to UX and content design too: how perspective, story, and empathy can shift behavior and create meaningful connection. Even when the medium is film and not a product interface, the strategy starts with understanding your audience and finding the most powerful way to speak to them.
ROLE
Copywriter
SCOPE
Conceptualize, write, and execute a prime time television commercial for RAM trucks
CREDITS
Iris Worldwide
Simon Candy, Executive Creative Director
Lexi Corn, Creative Director
Thomas Durante, Art Director
Michael Keenan, Editor
Teresa Hasala, Designer
Company 3, Edit, Color, Sound
Design + Flame ArtistrySome imagery provided by Daily Overview, satellite imagery ©DigitalGlobe.
AWARDS
2018 American Advertising Awards - Atlanta:
Gold - Television
Gold - Art Direction
Silver - Copywriting
2018 Communicator Awards of Excellence:
Commercials (General-Automotive)
Craft (Art Direction)