Come Near, the organization behind the He Gets Us campaign, and research partner 7th Sense, a Radius Insights company, have received Gold and Silver honors at the 2026 Advertising Research Foundation (ARF) David Ogilvy Awards. The recognition highlights how research into people's real-life experiences and spiritual questions helped shape a campaign inviting audiences to consider Jesus.
The campaign earned Gold in Cultural Fluency and Silver in Social Responsibility for its work on He Gets Us: Loaded Words. According to the announcement, Come Near is believed to be the first explicitly faith-centered organization recognized in the awards' three-decade history.
Presented by the Advertising Research Foundation, the David Ogilvy Awards recognize campaigns that use research and audience insights to develop effective creative work and make a meaningful impact.
Research Behind the 'More' Campaign
One of the campaign's featured films, More, aired during the 2026 Super Bowl and challenged viewers to reconsider the constant pursuit of achievement, success and fulfillment. Its central question invited audiences to consider whether life offers something beyond the pressure to always want more.
The creative direction grew from research conducted by Come Near in partnership with 7th Sense. The teams explored people's attitudes toward faith, their experiences with religious institutions and their desire for deeper meaning.
Through more than 100,000 online conversations, a national survey of 5,000 U.S. adults, focus groups, in-home ethnographic research, diary studies and ongoing tracking, the team identified an estimated 27 million Americans who were spiritually curious and open to Jesus but cautious about institutions such as the church.
The research found that some people carried difficult church experiences, emotional exhaustion and unanswered spiritual questions. These findings helped inform the campaign's messaging and creative approach, with an emphasis on making people feel safe enough to explore faith.
Measuring the Campaign's Impact
The Loaded Words campaign used familiar words associated with pressure, doubt and fear to connect with audiences and encourage reflection. The film More asked viewers to consider whether the teachings of Jesus might offer a different perspective on life's pursuit of fulfillment.
According to Come Near, campaign tracking showed a statistically significant increase in openness to hearing more about the teachings and stories of Jesus among people familiar with He Gets Us and those who had seen the film.
The organization also reported receiving responses from thousands of people who engaged with digital experiences on HeGetsUs.com. Many described feeling safe, seen and heard, echoing needs expressed by participants during the research process.
Bukola Omotayo, Come Near's vice president of research and insights, emphasized the importance of listening directly to people's experiences, particularly as artificial intelligence and synthetic data become more prominent in audience research.
Rob Wengel, CEO of Radius, said the recognition demonstrated the value of the partnership between Come Near and Radius Insights, highlighting how research into human emotions, motivations and behaviors informed the campaign.
Kolin Watts, co-managing director of 7th Sense, added that the campaign turned the familiar advertising concept of wanting "more" into a question that encouraged people to reflect on what they truly seek.
About Come Near and Radius Insights
Formed in 2023, Come Near develops stories and experiences designed to invite people to consider Jesus and his relevance to their lives. The organization leads the work behind He Gets Us, which has reached audiences through major cultural events and digital platforms.
Learn more about its mission and campaigns at He Gets Us.
Radius Insights is a global research, brand strategy and innovation consultancy that combines artificial intelligence, analytics and human expertise to help organizations understand audiences and identify growth opportunities. Its portfolio includes 7th Sense and other research and strategy companies.
Visit Radius Insights to learn more about its work.
The awards highlight the role that listening to real people can play in shaping faith-centered messages for a broader audience, bringing questions about Jesus, spirituality and the search for meaning into mainstream cultural conversations.
