She sends this to her group chat in frame 03
Hey guys I need some $$, please give what u can... USE SERVE.
+$20+$25sent from laptop
American Express Serve · National TV · Brand + acquisition
The transaction was neverthe story.
A prepaid card is a list of features. I sold it as a moment: kids in an alley, a game with no gear, and friends who chip in.
2.4M subscribers in 4 months
The brief
Make a prepaid card mean more than its features, on national TV.
My role
Strategy, concept, script, art direction and direction of the national spot, plus the email and static around it.
What I made
A :30 national TV spot, the six-frame storyboard, and launch email and static.
2.4M
subscribers added during the campaign
4 months
from launch to 2.4M
Idea to air
concept, script, art direction and direction, all mine
the finished spot
From conceptto screen.
The national :30 for American Express Serve. Strategy, concept, script, art direction and direction by CJ Ramos.
the insight
“People remember what money makes possible.”
So the rule was simple: human outcome first, product benefit second.
sketch to screen
Six frames.Drawn before we shot a thing.
Sketch
On air
Sketch
On air
Sketch
On air
Sketch
On air
Sketch
On air
Sketch
On air
red pen, in the margins
One text messagedid the selling.
“$$”
Nobody types “money” to friends. Real texting makes it feel real.
“please give what u can”
The ask is small and human. No pressure, no pitch.
“USE SERVE.”
The product shows up as the easy way to help, inside her words, not a voiceover.
how I'd run it today
One product. Three motivations.Built for the feed.
Concept · Not produced
One idea, written for four places: find them on TikTok, win their trust on Meta, close them on Google, keep them with email.
My bank charged me $105 in one day.
@realmoneytalk
open on the pain, in her words. the card shows up later.
American Express Serve · Sponsored
Your bank vs. Serve.
serve
Let's compare. →
Learn more
one objection per swipe. skeptics answer their own doubts.
prepaid card no bank account
Sponsored
No Credit Check Prepaid Card | Set Up Before Your Next Payday | Real American Express Card
No credit check. No overdraft fees. Sign up in minutes, before your next payday.
No Credit Check
Direct Deposit
Fees & Limits
Sign Up Now
say exactly what they searched. then use a deadline they already have: payday.
American Express Serve
Subject: You're in. Here's your first move.
serve
Welcome to the club.
Your card is on its way. One step makes it work harder for you: set up direct deposit, and your paycheck lands right on your card. It takes about two minutes.
Set up direct deposit
one step, not ten. 'two minutes' makes it feel doable.
Find them → Win their trust → Close them → Keep them
Neighborhood
narrative video
“They're playing hockey with whatever they could find.”
The Crew
creator-led vertical video
“Every group chat has a treasurer. Nobody applied for the job.”
Everyday Reset
problem-first UGC video
“Payday shouldn't feel like a second job.”
Not a lone wolf.A teammate.
no. 1
Sketched every frame before the shoot so the crew, client and I saw the same spot.
no. 2
Wrote and directed the spot, then carried the same idea into email and static.
no. 3
The spot was one part of a bigger campaign, with media and other channels run by partner teams.
want this for your brand?
Let's get you a yes.
Open to full-time senior copywriter roles. Remote or Milwaukee.