RAM Trucks has taken to the skies – briefly – to launch its latest performance vehicle with a bold and unexpected activation. In partnership with Publicis Middle East, the brand unveiled ‘RHO Airlines’, a creative stunt that turned the desert into a runway for what is being described as the world’s shortest flight, lasting just 1.2 seconds.
To bring the idea to life, RAM and Publicis built a fully immersive airport experience in the middle of the desert, complete with check-in counters, security, ground staff, air traffic control and cabin crew. The only thing missing was a plane. Instead, at the centre of the experience was the new RAM RHO 1500, a high-performance truck engineered for speed, agility and off-road capability.
The activation featured Saudi Arabia’s popular duo The Saudi Reporters in what the brand calls a “first-of-its-kind” influencer stunt. One brother, Abdullah, pranked the other, Abdulaziz, into thinking he was boarding a new desert-based airline. Instead, he found himself in the passenger seat of the RHO 1500 as it launched off a sand dune – piloted by a professional stunt driver.
“This stunt captures the essence of RAM. It is about power, capability and the spirit of adventure,” said Stuart Laurie, Head of RAM Brand at Stellantis Middle East. “The RAM RHO 1500 is not just built to conquer roads and terrains. It is engineered to push boundaries and fire up imaginations, which is exactly what RHO Airlines brings to life.”
The campaign kicked off with teaser content across RAM’s social platforms, hinting at the arrival of a mysterious new airline. The full reveal came through a hero video that documented the prank and airborne moment in a fast-paced, cinematic format.
“The RHO is unexpectedly thrilling to drive, and we wanted to create an experience that was equally unexpected,” added Tuki Ghiassi, Executive Creative Director at Publicis Middle East. “RHO Airlines is what happens when you take a product truth and turn it into a full-blown experience.”
The activation marks the first phase of a wider brand campaign for RAM RHO, with additional content expected to roll out in the coming weeks.
Credits
Publicis Groupe – Middle East:
Jean Traboulsi: Business Lead
Stuart Randall: Business Director
Annouska Ruparell: Account Manager
Khalil Amin: Senior Account Manager
Naba Kadri: Senior Executive
Tuki Ghias: Executive Creative Director
Anton Marais: Senior Creative Director
Yousra Elharouny: Senior Agency Producer
Oussama Founi: Associate Creative Director
Pablo Tesio: Associate Creative Director
Per-Kristian Morck: Associate Creative Director
Kamel Zeitouny: Senior Copywriter – Arabic
Louis Borniche: Motion Designer
Abdullah Samir: Art Director
Randy Balbon: Art Director
Hamdan Muhsen: Senior Designer
Joanny Chamorro: Senior Content Creator
Yousef Azhari: Senior Content Creator
Mazen Haddad: Business Director – Media
Harshayu Desai: Senior Manager – Media & Performance Marketing
Alma Pais: Manager – Media
Layla Ghanem: Senior Executive – Media
Zakaria El Fassi – Senior Executive – Media
Diana Palacios: Manager – Customer Experience
Maryam Alshahed: Senior Manager – Content
Tamara Beaino: Manager – Content
Karim Farage: Senior Executive – Content
Sheni Meledath: Senior Manager – Digital
Saad Al Rass: Senior Associate – Digital
Zain Naeem – Project Manager – Digital
Stellantis Middle East
Melhem Najm – Chief Marketing Officer
Stuart Laurie – Head of RAM Middle East
Nihar Anand – Head of Brand Marketing Communications RAM Middle East
Ziad Sunna – Head of Social & Content Creation
Viral Patel – Head of Media
Zhankar Gandhani – Assistant Manager RAM Middle East
Sunny Vaswani – Digital & Product CX Lead
Ajay Gopalakrishnan – Product Manager RAM Middle East
Reham Eldidi – Head of Corporate Communications
Shaza Fahs – Corporate Communications Manager
Karim Sobh – Corporate Communications Executive
Cast & Influencer Team
Abdulaziz Bakr – Saudi Reporters
Abdullah Bakr – Saudi Reporters
Ben Menzies – Precision Driver / Pilot
Nader Abd El Rahim – HuManagement
Elie Skander – HuManagement
Production House – Stoked:
Rita El Hashem – Executive Producer
Maya Abdou – Producer
Karim Aouad – Production Manager
Alberto Accettulli – Director
Fabrizio Accettulli – DOP
Charbel Neaime – Production Designer
Ben Menzies – Precision Driver
Lara Khamis – Wardrobe Stylist
Hani Kleib – Make-Up Artist
Post-Production House – Optix:
Nayla Chacra – Head of Post Production
Thalia Trad – Senior Post Producer
Waleed El Hassanein – Editor
Eddy Farah – Online Artist
Rep Agency Post – Dynamik:
Samuel Jurkovic – Sound Engineer
Fran Condor – Colorist
