There we were in a van, huddled around a phone, along the less traveled back roads of a Midwestern farm. The subject of the call was cold lemons. Specifically, what to do about the frozen crop we were to be shooting the next day amid an unexpected cold front hammering Florida. It was one of a hundred calls we had the pleasure of having over the next several weeks as we sent ten world-class photographers to capture authentic images, portraits, and personal interviews with farmers around the United States. From cattle ranchers to citrus growers, we were paying tribute to the true stewards of our land.
Those inspiring days resulted in the feature piece of a branding campaign we created for Ram Trucks. The two-minute commercial during Super Bowl XLVII with the legendary late radio broadcaster Paul Harvey delivering his speech "So God Made a Farmer" raised over $1 million in four days that Ram donated to the National FFA Organization scholarship fund. It also put a much-deserved added spotlight on farmers everywhere when Ad Age named "So God Made a Farmer" one of the top ten Super Bowl commercials of all time.
"So God Made a Farmer" Super Bowl XLVII
For generations, pickup truck advertising held a defined structure. Trucks pulling heavy equipment. Trucks working. Men working. You know the tired story. Dodge Ram's new ownership group had just decided to separate Ram from Dodge and they hired us to essentially launch a "new" brand that could focus solely on trucks. Ram was born from a company known for innovation, bold thinking, and dependability. Its founders were expert machinists and engineers who loved to get their hands dirty and build legendary vehicles. That was all we needed to roll up our sleeves and begin what became a seven-year devotion to building a brand that would become the fastest growing truck brand on record. With the help of Sam Elliot as our primary voice over and a few dozen selfless key contributors, we went all in. The story was never about any form of exclusivity. It was about aligning the values of Ram Trucks with like-minded individuals. We simply had to shine a light on their efforts and tell their stories.
"Courage"
