The American Dream
CLIENT: THE CW
The CW Network came to us for a campaign that would bring together the two opposite ends of the political spectrum in their viewership and encourage audiences that felt weird about the 2016 election. We presented several campaigns as possibilities, and this was one of them — a revisiting of an earlier “American Dream” campaign I had pitched, with a new logo and a new concept of togetherness.
I leaned on unexpected shades of red and blue that were less patriotic and more commonly associated with 3-D glasses — a metaphor for the fact that our country is built on the basis of multiple viewpoints. The new wordmark I handpainted, another metaphor for our responsibility to put in the work and build the country we want.
The hashtag, #BeRevolutionary, pointed to the original ideals of discussion and dissent that made America what it is. The manifesto (below) really drove the point home.
My role:
Concept, creative direction, design, copywriting, community engagement components
Additional credits:
Produced while employed by The Black Sheep Agency
A series of manifesto posters centered around photography alerted viewers to the photo and pledge project microsite.
This tote bag combines both red and blue versions of the logo overlaid to appear 3-dimensional (if wearing the glasses!), or simply to show purple, the blending of both colors (or "sides").
The campaign's website includes a pledge to honor the diversity of the American dream and a photo collection showcasing the dreams of individuals.
You could view the names people submitted when they signed the pledge (accountability!), along with the photo they may have uploaded.
CW affiliates would host community improvement days, rehabilitating parks or creating group murals — generally beautifying the location of their American dream.
Swag items included temporary tattoos and the glasses to view them in 3D.
Snapchat filters and an influencer component (CW actors!) would generate curiosity and spread the campaign far and wide.
The CW would release a book using the uploaded photos from the microsite and the stories along with them to really showcase a cross-section of their viewership and create empathy between people of different backgrounds.
The American Dream Manifesto
“When America was a young nation, we knew that there was power in opinions, debate and even dissent. We understood that one person should never be forced to worship another’s god, that a voice given a vote could change the lives of millions, that assemblies could be powerful and speech should be free. We rebelled against the idea that one should or even could determine the path of another, and we fought for individual pursuit of what became known as the American Dream. Today, we are the people of “We the people,” and here we use discussion to build on our dreams, not to tear down the dreams of others. In this country, we respect freedoms and we respect people. We respect differences. We respect disagreement. In this country, we fight for dreams, no matter who they belong to, because freedom is for all of us, and a dream is the most American thing one can have.”