Home-wrecking Hound a Hit for Ram Trucks
RAM
Doghouse
Our Ad Of The Week heads south to Brazil this week with the latest in RAM Trucks campaign, starring a pickup driver with a dog problem – namely, his prized pet just trashed their doghouse. Not a problem – dog and owner get in the RAM truck and head across country to a barn where he can build his pet a new home.
Problem solved? Well, not quite. The dog has got quite the taste for off-road travel and next morning the man finds the doghouse wrecked again – and this time, his dog is sitting, RAM truck keys in mouth, waiting for another ride!
It’s a humorous way to end an entertaining ad in which the product gets plenty of screentime but never distracts the audience from the emotional storyline. In fact, the ad’s a great combination of a dynamic vehicle in action and a silly, heartwarming story – giving you an emotional lift and leaving you with a positive impression of the truck itself.
We know it does this because we can look at the key associations people have with the ad, and the quality of the RAM truck is top of the list – technology and the sense of freedom it gives being the main positive factors, with design and the brand itself also contributing. That’s reflected in the storyline, with viewers enjoying scenes where the powerful RAM truck overtakes another vehicle en route to the barn.
Of course, the dog also attracts attention and gives the ad its storyline and emotional peaks, including that laugh at the end which sends the ad off on a high note. Remember the “peak end rule” which underlines how important it is to finish your ad on a high – it’s what viewers really take away.
With a 4.4-Star Rating (among pick-up owners) showing strong potential for brand growth given an appropriate investment level, the ad is a winner for RAM in a category which often tends to generic, less emotional ads. RAM’s previous ads have been good but this is their first 4-Star effort with this audience and a new high point in their campaign. There’s also a strong Brand Fluency rating showing that audiences quickly grasp who the ad is for.
RAM have a strong ad here – the most impressive element is how well the scenes showing off the truck’s performance are integrated with the story. RAM aren’t the first automotive ad to boost emotional content by featuring man’s best friend. But in a lot of animal ads, a cute dog is effectively an add-on to a generic ad. What RAM do very well here is build the story around the truck and the dog, leading naturally to that funny, crowd-pleasing ending. It’s a lesson in how to appeal to viewers’ hearts without compromising your ability to show off the truck itself.