Work | rod-oc-copywriter

top of page

Rod O'Connor

Writer. Content Creator.

JLL Thought Leadership. Digital Content. Brand Journalism. Regular contributor to commercial real estate leader's Trends & Insights website, currently creating articles based on subject matter expertise of JLL industry segment directors relating to COVID-19 and its impact on the economy.	Ram Commercial Video. Content Program. Social. This customer video, an authentic ode to Rocky Mountain ranch life, shadows a third-generation Colorado cattleman and his fleet of trusty Ram trucks.	Bank of America White Paper. B2B. Sales Support. Thought Leadership. To help Bank of America's Merchant Services division tout its leadership in the payments space, I worked with their strategic agency to craft a white paper that shared insights into the interconnected universe of the "Human Commerce Ecosystem."
IC Bus Digital Content. B2B. Social. Thought Leadership. Cullman County, Alabama was the first in the state to order collision mitigation on its school buses. This story of how the new tech helped a driver sidestep an accident was the cornerstone of a brand campaign to establish IC Bus as a pioneer in supporting safety technology for the school bus industry.	JLL Thought Leadership. Digital Content. Brand Journalism. Using proprietary research and interviews and insights from JLL's SVP of sustainability and the head of Harvard's Healthy Buildings program, this digital content -- featured on JLL's content hub and social channels -- looked at how the real estate industry can use new tech and new thinking to make the air in buildings cleaner and safer.	Navistar-Accenture Partnership Video. B2B. Reputation Management. Thought Leadership. Walking the line at Accenture’s Parts Optimization Lab outside Detroit, this piece chronicles the rigorous step-by-step process helping Navistar’s Parts Group improve its sales and marketing efforts by mining rich content from deep data.
Ford Brand Content. Digital. An interview with Ford's lighting and design engineer in Germany delivers illuminating insight into night vision technology for cars.	Leafly Editorial. Brand Content. Walking the line between branded content and gonzo journalism, the cannabis company Leafly sent me to Denver to tailgate and hang in the nosebleeds at Mile High Stadium with medical marijuana advocate and ex-Bronco tight end Nate Jackson. (He then wrote about the experience, quoting me in his book, Fantasy Man.) All's fair...	Zoro/Grainger Digital Content. SEO. UX. Created and optimized content for Zoro's ResourceHub, an e-commerce support tool from Grainger with repair tips and how-to guides for small and medium business owners. Worked closely with the UX and SEO teams to develop article templates and overall optimization strategy.
International Truck Custom Magazine. Video. Digital. B2B. I concepted and created editorial and video content for Navistar's International Trail magazine, as well as a customer-facing website, showcasing real stories from real people using International trucks to power their operations.	IC Bus Video. Digital. Thought Leadership. B2B. This three-party video series burnished IC Bus's tech leadership by following the west coast tour introducing its first-ever electric bus.	Geico Sponsored Content. Loyalty. I contributed lifestyle editorial content for Geico Living, a helpful destination for insurance customers, channeling subject matter experts on everything from avoiding accidents to DIY maintenance tips.
Boston Beer Video. B2B. Social. Thought Leadership. I led creative development of this video series featuring Sam Adams founder Jim Koch and analytics partner BeerBoard hashing out beer industry topics and trends.	Golub and Company Video. Brand Content. Sales Support. Digital. This brand video leverages a real estate company's partnership with a rising-star muralist to connect the spirit of the artist with the brand vision for a signature building in the burgeoning Wabash Arts Corridor in Chicago's South Loop.	Ford Brand Content. Custom Magazine. Video. Digital. As a longtime contributor to Ford's customer magazine, I collaborated with photo and video teams to create content across multiple platforms.
Tru Vue Video. Social. Customer Stories. This video series highlights the emotional stories of customers whose memories and memorabilia were immortalized under Tru Vue's museum-quality glass, including Sioux Falls, SD's Roller Dollz.	International Truck Brand Content. B2B. Digital. CSR. A year after a savage tornado ripped through Joplin, Missouri, I listened to the stories of employees at the local dealership who lived through it -- and learned how co-workers and support from corporate partner Navistar helped rebuild the community.	Navistar-Cummins Partnership White Paper. B2B. Reputation Management. Sales Support. This Special Report explained the back-story behind the renewed partnership between truck-maker Navistar and its on-again off-again engine provider Cummins.
Navistar Brand Content. B2B. Reputation Management. Part of a custom magazine package showcasing Navistar's energy vision, this infographic visually tells the story of the company's all-in commitment to natural gas.	Ford Brand Content. Custom Magazines. Video. Digital. Hemingway drove here. A road trip to Key West is the backdrop for a story exploring Papa's connection to Ford during his Florida years.	Cars.com B2B. Sales Support. Thought Leadership. This dealer-facing b2b program used web content, white papers, and collateral to educate dealers of the new digital tools required for sales success.
Ram ProMaster Brand Content. Customer Story. Digital. Video. Social. The story of how this young entrepreneur ran his mobile auto detailing company out of his ProMaster van brought real-world legitimacy to Ram's “Long Live Work” integrated marketing campaign. Program included video, features, and infographics for social.	AbbVie HCP Marketing. Collateral. Experiential. Video. I've helped the pharma giant communicate with its many stakeholders through experiential content, speeches, video scripts, and print materials sharing emotional patient stories.	International Trucks Video. B2B. Content Program. Digital. Social. One of a series of customer videos celebrating drivers of the International LT Series.
1792 Bourbon Product Launch. Brand Identity. Where better to unveil a new premium bourbon than in the spirit's birthplace? I led this cult brand's launch effort, crafting its identity as "the toast of Kentucky" and introducing the product at a series of experiential sampling events.	BeerBoard White Paper Thought Leadership. B2B. Sales Support. To establish leadership and spur new partnerships, analytics company BeerBoard needed a white paper breaking down the industry impact of new FDA regulations requiring beer calorie counts on menus.	AbbVie HCP Marketing. Collateral. For this Patient Journey booklet, I interviewed local leaders to craft case studies sharing the transformative work being done across AbbVie's key international sales regions.
Northwestern Medicine Collateral. Thought Leadership. This fund-raising tool for Northwestern's Lake Forest location -- a bound book featuring stories from physicians, patients and donors -- became the cornerstone of its capital campaign.	FirstWord Pharma Sales Support. Technical Writing. To help market this pharma industry resource's new report on ulcerative collitis (UC) treatments, I distilled highlights from interviews with KOLs including physicians, professors, and consultants to create this "In the Know" trend piece.	Citi Digital. Direct. Relationship Marketing. From launching new cards to helping re-brand its "ThankYou" rewards program, I brought strategic thinking to Citi's credit card business: from direct mail to web copy to new cardmember kits
Citi Retail Print. In-Store. As a senior copywriter, I spearheaded several projects for Citi on a retail level: from creating sales tools to promote small business banking to developing in-branch signage.	Kohler Digital. Web Copy. Use it, or admire it? That's the question Kohler posed in a series of microsites for its luxury bathroom fixtures. Copy that hit the high-end notes, while also detailing the functional differences among its product lines, led buyers to the the right choice	Project Management Institute Technical Writing. Thought Leadership. Working with Imagination Publishing, I interviewed project management luminaries and subject matter experts to generate valuable content for this association's member base.
Tork Playbooks B2B. Sales Support. Thought Leadership. Paper company SCA/Tork needed to arm its sales force with on-the-go content highlighting product advantages in key industry segments. The solution: A series of scannable, interactive "playbooks" designed for mobile.

bottom of page