The Poultry Federation signed along with Animal Agriculture to say Thank You to Chrysler Group's Dodge Ram for their support!
February 7, 2013 – This week nearly 250 regional, state and national farm, ranch and agribusiness organizations sent a heartfelt “thank you” to Chrysler Group Chair and CEO Sergio Marchionne – and his Ram Trucks team – for its outstanding XLVII Super Bowl commercial “So God Made a Farmer.”
The ad kicks off a campaign declaring 2013 “The Year of the Farmer,” and features gorgeous still images from ten noted photographers including William Albert Allard and Kurt Markus. The commercial’s crowning glory, however, is legendary radio broadcaster Paul Harvey’s recitation of his essay on the virtues of the American farmer, which he originally delivered at a Future Farmers of America conference in 1978. Mr. Harvey passed away in 2009.
“The commercial, with its poignant earnestness reminded the millions who watched the game that farmers and ranchers—those that feed and clothe our country and the world—must be appreciated and recognized for what they do, and how well they do it,” said Kay Johnson Smith, President and CEO of the Animal Agriculture Alliance which coordinated the letter with assistance from the Farm Animal Welfare Coalition, an ad hoc agriculture coalition coordinated by Steve Kopperud, Executive Vice President of Policy Directions Inc., a Washington, DC consulting firm.
“I think a hush came over many Super Bowl parties when this advertisement ran," remarked Johnson Smith. "It was so different from the flashy, comical advertisements that you usually see; it really showcased a piece of Americana.”
The commercial also kicks off a partnership with the National FFA Foundation to draw viewers to the http://www.ramtrucks.com/en/keepplowing site. For every view, download or share of the two-minute spot, Ram trucks will make a donation to the FFA Foundation’s “Feeding the World – Starting at Home” hunger program. In addition to the advertisement being the third most popular Super Bowl commercial according to USA Today’s “Ad Meter,” it has already received over six million online views to date.
Ram trucks is joined in the “Year of the Famer” campaign by tractor and farm equipment manufacturer Case IH of Racine, Wisconsin and Farms.com Ltd., a global marketing and information services company based in Ontario, Canada. Other Ram partners include Stihl, Bosch and Mossy Oak.
“Over time the agriculture industry has struggled with how to best remind America that farming and ranching isn’t a 9-to-5 job, it’s a way of life,” said Johnson Smith. “We are so grateful to Ram, Case IH and Farms.com for sharing this important message with the world and we invite consumers to take this opportunity to learn more about the hardworking individuals who comprise the U.S. agriculture industry.”
To read the thank you letter sent to the Chrysler Group and Dodge Ram Team and for a complete list of the letter’s signatories click here.
Source: Animal Agriculture Alliance