Adventure. Drama. REFRIGERATORS.
When GE wanted to launch their newest, coolest refrigerator, they also wanted to shout from the rooftops that it’s built right there in 'Merica.
So we decided to create a ridiculous product test by filling one with fresh food, hooking it up to a generator and then driving it over 2000 miles from the factory floor in Kentucky to a barren desert where fresh food doesn’t even try to exist. In between knocking on wood that the stunt actually worked and that the food didn't spoil, we filmed the adventure in an over-the-top, reality show style with the help of the original director of Survivor and the producers of The Amazing Race. The mission, beyond performing a melodramatic product demo, was to find Ron Thompson, a homesick wildlife biologist stationed in the deserts of Far West Texas, and surprise him with a feast of his favorite foods along with his family to help him eat it.
My only regret is that I think we may have nailed the cheesy reality-show feel a little too well.
Visitors to the Freshpedition website encountered an awesome full-screen time-lapse of the entire journey (via a GoPro we put on the back of the truck), with episodes, 360° photos, recipes and outtakes from our two hosts – GE engineer Justin Berger and celebrity chef Ben Sargent – all sprinkled in along the way.
Episode I: Lettuce Begin
Episode II: The Fellowship of the Goat Cheese
Episode III: Shenanigators
Episode IV: Operation Smorgasbord
Episode V: Meal or No Meal
The whole campaign was unlike anything GE had attempted in the past and, thankfully, was a huge success. A few sample articles about the Freshpedition in the press can be seen here:
role: Senior Writer
