We open on a man who gets out of his vehicle and then rams his head into a parking meter, knocking its top off. Next an anchorwoman tells us of a recent “Ram Rash” outbreak that has people behaving abnormally. The newscast cuts to a field reporter who points out that the rash is in the shape of the Ram logo on the Dodge Ram. Field scientists are examining the vehicle logo as an entire scene unfolds behind the reporter. A man with the Ram Rash rams one of the scientists and drives off with the new Dodge Ram car.
Titled “Field Report,” this is the centerpiece of a Web-only campaign designed to appeal to a younger, more contemporary international audience than Dodge typically attracts. The viral fare can be found on ramrash.com.
The viral package of commercials–created to introduce the Dodge Ram to the European market–was directed by Paul Cotter of Z group films, Venice, Calif., and Chicago, for BBDO Detroit in Troy, Mich. The rest of the campaign consists of “Wedding,” “Grandma,” “Waiter” and “Bathroom.”
The latter is a bit of a misdirect as we see an attractive woman rubbing lotion on her legs. Then the camera reveals the Ram Rash on the woman’s backside–it almost looks like a tattoo with attitude. Indeed the woman has attitude. She drops the bottle of lotion and as she bends over to pick it up, her head rams the sink. She slowly rubs her head and looks up to discover she’s smashed the side of the porcelain sink to pieces. How’s that for Ram tough?
Similarly in “Wedding,” a priest gives a couple his final blessing at the altar. The groom lifts the veil from the bride’s face to reveal the Ram Rash on the woman’s cheek. The bride then rams her head into the hubby’s, knocking him unconscious. She picks the groom up, throws him over her shoulder and walks back up the center aisle and out of the church.
In “Grandma,” a young woman is weighted down by bags of groceries she’s carrying. Her hands are full, making it impossible for her to open her grandmother’s apartment door. The lass knocks repeatedly on the door, but the grandma seems oblivious. However, all is not lost as we spy the Ram Rash on the young lady’s leg. She rams the door with her head, knocking it flat–unfortunately in a bit of dark humor, the grandma–who finally came to answer the knocking–is now beneath the door.
And in “Waiter,” a Ram Rash-bearing waiter rushes to the rescue of a restaurant customer who is choking on a piece of meat. The waiter dives across several tables, flips through the air and saves the diner’s life, dislodging the obstruction from the man’s windpipe.
Visitors to ramrash.com not only can view the spots but also have access to games, screensavers and wallpaper featuring the Ram logo.
The BBDO Detroit ensemble on the viral commercials consisted of creative director/copywriter Terry Ayrault, creative director/art director Don DeFilippo, executive producer Hugh Broder and producer Kelly Radyko.
Dan Zigulich executive produced for Z group, with Suzy Dufour producing “Wedding,” “Grandma,” “Waiter” and “Bathroom, and Cory Berg serving as producer on “Field Report.”
Hernan Otano was the DP on “Field Report.” The other spots were lensed by DP Eric Haas.
Scott Bakkila of Forest Post, Farmington Hills, Mich., served as both editor and colorist. Audio post mixer/sound designer was Forest Post’s Jeff Buikema.
Hollywood’s Oscar Season Turns Into A Pledge Drive In Midst Of L.A. Wildfires
When the Palisades Fire broke out in Los Angeles last Tuesday, Hollywood's awards season was in full swing. The Golden Globes had transpired less than 48 hours earlier and a series of splashy awards banquets followed in the days after.
But the enormity of the destruction in Southern California has quickly snuffed out all festiveness in the movie industry's high season of celebration. At one point, the flames even encroached on the hillside above the Dolby Theatre, the home of the Academy Awards.
The fires have struck at the very heart of a movie industry still trying to stabilize itself after years of pandemic, labor turmoil and technological upheaval. Not for the first time this decade, the Oscars are facing the question of: Should the show go on? And if it does, what do they mean now?
"With ALL due respect during Hollywood's season of celebration, I hope any of the networks televising the upcoming awards will seriously consider NOT televising them and donating the revenue they would have gathered to victims of the fires and the firefighters," "Hacks" star Jean Smart, a recent Globe winner, wrote on Instagram.
The Oscars remain as scheduled, but it's certain that they will be transformed due to the wildfires, and that most of the red-carpet pomp that typically stretches between now and then will be curtailed if not altogether canceled. With so many left without a home by the fires, there's scant appetite for the usual self-congratulatory parades of the season.
Focus has turned, instead, to what the Oscars might symbolize for a traumatized Los Angeles. The Oscars have never meant less, but, at the same time, they might be more important than ever as a beacon of perseverance for the reeling movie capital.
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