The Richards Group, Dallas, conceived of this two-minute Super Bowl spot which tapped into the “So God Made a Farmer” speech made by famed radio broadcaster Paul Harvey in 1978 at the National Future Farmers of America Convention.
The eloquent remarks become even more poetic and lyrical when played to a backdrop of images capturing U.S. farm life for this commercial. Noted photographers were commissioned to chronicle this slice of Americana, including William Albert Allard of National Geographic fame and noted documentary photographer Kurt Markus.
In SHOOT‘s survey of agency creatives seeking their assessments of this year’s crop of Super Bowl commercials, Cameron Day, creative director of Denver-based agency Barnhart, characterized “Farmer” as “the spot of the night…It started with the words “Paul Harvey” over a still image. My TV screen flashed a series of de-saturated stills of America’s farmlands, animals, calloused hands, combines and dawn-lit mornings. It was startling, beautiful, reverential and poignant. Then it revealed itself to be a tribute to farmers from Dodge trucks. There was not a single stereotypical truck shot in the entire spot. It was my Clint Eastwood moment of the night, and the production, sound design and narrative all coalesced into the most compelling truck commercial I’ve seen in years.”
Brent Herrington and Mark Sullivan of 3008 Studio served as offline and online editor, respectively.
Is “Glicked” The New “Barbenheimer”? “Wicked” and “Gladiator II” Hit Theater Screens
"Barbenheimer" was a phenomenon impossible to manufacture. But, more than a year later, that hasn't stopped people from trying to make "Glicked" — or even "Babyratu" — happen.
The counterprogramming of "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" in July 2023 hit a nerve culturally and had the receipts to back it up. Unlike so many things that begin as memes, it transcended its online beginnings. Instead of an either-or, the two movies ultimately complemented and boosted one another at the box office.
And ever since, moviegoers, marketers and meme makers have been trying to recreate that moment, searching the movie release schedule for odd mashups and sending candidates off into the social media void. Most attempts have fizzled (sorry, "Saw Patrol" ).
This weekend is perhaps the closest approximation yet as the Broadway musical adaptation "Wicked" opens Friday against the chest-thumping sword-and-sandals epic "Gladiator II." Two big studio releases (Universal and Paramount), with one-name titles, opposite tones and aesthetics and big blockbuster energy — it was already halfway there before the name game began: "Wickiator," "Wadiator," "Gladwick" and even the eyebrow raising "Gladicked" have all been suggested.
"'Glicked' rolls off the tongue a little bit more," actor Fred Hechinger said at the New York screening of "Gladiator II" this week. "I think we should all band around 'Glicked.' It gets too confusing if you have four or five different names for it."
As with "Barbenheimer," as reductive as it might seem, "Glicked" also has the male/female divide that make the fan art extra silly. One is pink and bright and awash in sparkles, tulle, Broadway bangers and brand tie-ins; The other is all sweat and sand, blood and bulging... Read More