Dwight Howard sick of the Kobe/LeBron ads
Kobe Bryant and LeBron James's new NBA playoff-themed ads for Nike (above) and Vitaminwater (below) have sparked a lot of excitement—particularly from Dwight Howard. But not in a good way. In a post on his blog, the Orlando Magic star says it's "really disrespectful that everybody seems to be pulling for LeBron and Kobe to get to the finals. ... It's like nobody is even giving us a shot at winning this series." He signs off by saying, "Aiiight, ya'll I guess I gotta go watch another one of these LeBron and Kobe commercials on TV. Naw, just kiddin." Dwight's got a point, but he should really pay more attention to where his elbows land than who's in what ad. That's the best way to make sure you're in next year's campaign. |
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Published on May 26, 2009 | Permalink
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Novak Djokovic irresistible in Head.com ad
Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic, the world's third-ranked player behind Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, gets extremely loose in his first major outing for sports brand Head since the equipment and apparel company signed him in January. His nickname's Djoko, with a silent "D," and he's certainly more fun on camera than Federer, whose performance in that '70s-themed Gillette ad with Tiger Woods and Derek Jeter was as wooden as an antique racquet. In the Head spot, there's a cute set-up with Djoko going into the stands mid-point for some over-the-top flirtation with an attractive fan, and still having time to return his opponent's shot. The spot tries a bit too hard to be "outrageous" with nipple tassels and a recreation of a scene from Flashdance. Even so, it's extremely likable, and I didn't regret hanging in for the entire two minutes. If Head ever casts Anna Kournikova in a similar scenario, hopefully they'll keep the tassels. |
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Published on April 27, 2009 | Permalink
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Seattle Mariners live up to new ads, for now
With the Seattle Mariners perched atop the standings in the American League West—a phenomenon unlikely to persist for long, if the team's showing last year is any indication—this would be a propitious time to check out the franchise's 2009 TV commercials. Fans have been invited to vote to pick their favorite spot. Ad-agency types might take the opportunity to vote for anything other than the execution in which the "creative force" behind years of Mariners commercials turns out to be a chimp. For baseball fans, it's worth it just to get a glimpse of Jay Buhner's shiny bald head again. As it has done for years (with or without simians), Copacino+Fujikado of Seattle created the campaign. —Posted by Mark Dolliver |
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Published on April 17, 2009 | Permalink
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No one messes with the Boston Bruins bear
When it comes to casting bears in ad campaigns, Mullen has now gone to both extremes. The National Grid polar bears were pretty benign. The actor in the bear suit who stars in this playoff campaign for the Boston Bruins, however, must've gotten up on the wrong side of the cave. If you don't play by the "Bruins Hockey Rules," you're liable to get roughed up by this furry fanatic. The hairy hothead slaps one fan who tucks in his B's jersey, tackles another who doesn't hang up his phone and watch the game, and humiliates a third (the poor guy's "be-ah" goes flying) because his date wears the colors of the divisional rival Montreal Canadiens. Basically, the ubiquitous ursine behaves just like any Bruins fan from Lynn after a couple of brewskies too many. —Posted by David Gianatasio |
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Published on April 15, 2009 | Permalink
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March Adness final: State Farm, PlayStation
So, it all comes down to this. AdweekMedia's inaugural March Adness contest, pitting 16 of the best sports commercials against one another in a bracketed tournament, is down to its two finalists: Starm Farm's "Feeling Kinda LeBron" spot, in which LeBron James daydreams about playing for the Cleveland Browns; and PlayStation's "Dustin vs. PS" ad, in which Dustin Pedroia complains to PlayStation's director of game accuracy (played by Jerry Lambert) about his avatar not being able to hit the high-inside fastball in MLB '09: The Show. Vote for your favorite of the two spots on the March Adness site. The winner will be crowned late Friday. I will remain impartial, except to note that Lambert is probably the finest actor of his generation. UPDATE: And PlayStation hits it out of the park. |
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Published on April 3, 2009 | Permalink
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D.C. United kicks Fairfield hotels up a notch
Pro soccer players kicking a ball around in a place where they shouldn't really be doing so? That's what we find in this amiable video created by Marriott's PR folks to promote its Fairfield Inn & Suites brand. (It kicks off, so to speak, an integrated campaign that agency mcgarrybowen has created around the brand's "Staying is believing" theme.) Ben Olsen and some D.C. United teammates seem to be having fun as they play an impromptu game in a Marriott lobby. The downside, of course, is that there's already a legendary commercial in which big-time soccer players kick a ball around in an unusual venue: the one featuring stars of the Brazilian national team at an airport, on behalf of Nike in 1998. A new video can't help but invite comparison with the earlier one. And with all due respect to Marriott's effort, which is perfectly pleasant, D.C. United against Brazil isn't much of a contest. But the new video does end with a nice flourish as it offers this disclaimer: "We are professional soccer players. Don't even think about trying this inside a Fairfield Inn & Suites." OK, consider it not done. |
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Published on April 3, 2009 | Permalink
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Hoops coaches strip for a 'Guitar Hero' spot
Here's the new Guitar Hero commercial with college-basketball coaching legends Bob Knight, Rick Pitino, Roy Williams and Mike Krzyzewski yukking it up with Metallica. As Guitar Hero's Risky Business ads go, this one's a distant second to the Heidi Klum spot, though Knight is pretty funny, and Pitino's drumming is amusingly wretched. |
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Published on March 30, 2009 | Permalink
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Australian football will kick your sport's ass
There's a long list of pastimes that Americans just can't understand—cricket, Pai Gow, curling, shirling, etc. I've always shrugged off Australian-rules football as yet another bullet on the roster of baffling competitions. But this new ad for the Australian Football League does a pretty good job of explaining the sport. Well, it at least does a good job of explaining how every other sport is downright wussy-like by comparison. You even get to see a back-climbing "specky," which I'm personally excited about trying out in the office this afternoon. Not my problem if you picked the wrong day to reload the hallway printer, buddy. —Posted by David Griner |
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Published on March 26, 2009 | Permalink
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Golfer Anna Rawson is fourth Go Daddy girl
If nothing else, Go Daddy's press releases are entertaining. The domain registrar today introduced LPGA golfer Anna Rawson as its fourth Go Daddy girl, and wasted no time in talking up her strengths as a spokeswoman. Go Daddy "is known for signing good looking, confident, accomplished women as Go Daddy Girls," says the release. "Anna is certainly no exception. Anna is the only runway model to become a professional golfer. ... She also writes, having her own golf column syndicated in more than 20 countries around the world." Naturally, Go Daddy CEO and founder Bob Parsons personally introduced Rawson at an event in Phoenix. Parsons, says the release, "is known for having an eye for new talent and is very excited about the company's newest Go Daddy Girl. 'Anna is edgy, she's hot, she's outspoken ... I ask you, what's not GoDaddy-esque about that?' " The memo helpfully points out that "GoDaddy-esque is a term coined by the media, meaning fun, edgy and slightly inappropriate." Rawson joins poker player Vanessa Rousso, race-car driver Danica Patrick and model Candice Michelle on the roster of Go Daddy girls. |
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Published on March 25, 2009 | Permalink
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PlayStation thinks Dustin Pedroia is a hack
There's so much to enjoy in this new "Dustin vs. PlayStation" campaign by Deutsch for the MLB '09: The Show video game. First, it's got Dustin Pedroia, the unlikely American League MVP and just-as-unlikely pitchman, arguing with the makers of the game over how it's been programmed: namely, that his avatar can't hit the high-and-inside fastball. The Red Sox second baseman insists he can indeed hit it, and he wouldn't be polishing his MVP trophy if he couldn't. Even better: His nemesis in the campaign is PlayStation's "director of game accuracy," played by the hilarious dude from the Holiday Inn commercials—the one who tells his buddies to "bring it down a notch" when they're hassling Joe Buck in the hotel bar, and who later falls asleep in the tanning bed. The PlayStation channel on YouTube currently only has these two spots: the "Dustin vs. PlayStation" ad above and the "Joe the Fan" spot below (possibly starring David Gianatasio in the role of Joe). There are a bunch more on the way. Hopefully the Holiday Inn guy will make whale sounds in at least one of them. |
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Published on March 17, 2009 | Permalink
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DDB's Sol spots are odd, but in a good way
Most ads that attempt to be weird fail for one of two reasons. Either they're trying too hard and feel forced (like the crappy series with Jack in the Box's round-headed mascot) or they don't go far enough (like Old Navy's SuperModelquins, which are hardly weird at all). When the proper balance is achieved, however, it can be a thing of beauty. Which brings us to Sol beer's campaign from DDB Argentina. See all three ads here. They manage to be weird in an endearing way, appear well targeted to its audience and never overpower the brand. They're weird with you, not at you. They're almost parodies of weird ads, taking the familiar elements that fall flat in other spots and doing them just right. Male bonding over suds and soccer is the general theme. But "Hugs," above, doesn't head where you'd expect, "Pep Talk" really scores on the field. And you'll lap up the stupidity of "Weird." Don't worry, the ads are better than my commentary on them. Hmm, three entertaining spots from DDB. Now that's weird! Via Ads of the World. |
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Published on March 13, 2009 | Permalink
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Adidas's NBA stars finally make it to college
Here's a fun idea from Adidas. To celebrate March Madness, it's taking four of its endorsers who jumped straight from high-school basketball to the NBA and imagining them on the college teams of today: Kevin Garnett at UCLA, Dwight Howard at Kansas, Tracy McGrady at Louisville and Josh Smith at Pitt. See all four ads here. It would have been fun to see Kobe Bryant, another college dodger, in this kind of situation, though of course he's ex-Adidas and now shills for Nike. Via American Copywriter. |
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Published on March 12, 2009 | Permalink
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Bailed-out BofA still enjoys its U.K. football
Americans, here's your tax dollars at work: In the U.K., Liverpool's football team has just signed up Bank of America as a major sponsor. BofA, which has received about $45 billion in U.S. federal rescue money after its acquisition of Merrill Lynch and its toxic assets, is the parent of MBNA, which supplies Liverpool's credit card for supporters. (At the end of the year, MBNA announced major worldwide layoffs, so it's a safe bet many of those on the street might have liked a little of the cash that will now underwrite the careers of Bentley-driving footballers and their high-maintenance WAGs.) Liverpool, currently sitting at No. 3 in the U.K.'s Premier League, has a rich history, and wants to leverage its potential globally. (The club also demolished Real Madrid 4-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday.) Team manager Rafael Benitez has made no secret of his frustration that Liverpool doesn't get the same place on the world stage as Manchester United. But Liverpool already has deep pockets, with revenues of more than $277 million annually—hardly in need of a bailout money from the U.S. government. —Posted by Noreen O'Leary |
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Published on March 11, 2009 | Permalink
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Lincecum's avatar is more likable than he isThis commercial from Ground Zero for 2K Sports stars reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum and his animated counterpart from the popular MLB 2K9 video game. Adweek's Eleftheria Parpis hits it out of the park (sorry) when she notes: "While one is flesh and blood and the other a video game character, the silent Tim, even with all his awkward movements and vacant eyes, ends up coming across as more likable." The real pitcher does seem awfully cranky and uptight. Maybe he just got traded to Pittsburgh—that'd spoil anyone's day. The avatar is eager to please, quick to learn and, like all right-thinking people, he's a Wang Chung fan. Sign that software-generated doppleganger to a long-term deal. He won't demand five-star hotels and limos, just the occasional reboot and upgrade. And the only "juice" in his system will be of the AC variety. (I hear it gives his fastball a little extra zip!) |
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Published on March 4, 2009 | Permalink
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Party's over as Tiger Woods returns to golf
When Tiger's away, the mice will play—and actually win, for a change. This amusing new Nike Golf spot from Wieden + Kennedy shows Anthony Kim, Stewart Cink, Trevor Immelman, Justin Leonard and Carl Pettersson having the time of their lives while Woods recovers from knee surgery. Of course, all good things come to an end—in this case, it's because Tiger has healed and will return to the PGA Tour on Wednesday for the Accenture Match Play Championship. The 60-second spot breaks on Wednesday and will air on ESPN, ESPN News and The Golf Channel until Sunday. The Golf Channel will air it right before Tiger's first tee shot on Wednesday. |
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Published on February 24, 2009 | Permalink
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Callaway giving golf a little bit of basketball
What's with golf these days? Once the world's most buttoned-up sport, it is now flirting with serious weirdness. Earlier we had Doug deGrood's golf rap video. The latest example comes in this teaser ad for a Callaway driver, via San Francisco agency Eleven Inc. Didn't golf courses used to have rules about flagrant tattoo-display? Traditionalists will be tempted to offer a tactful referral to all concerned. For better or worse, though, one suspects the ad is in sync with the sensibility of young men who wish to win some status points by displaying high-end gear out on the links. |
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Published on February 17, 2009 | Permalink
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Hope is one thing the Cubs will always have
The Chicago Cubs are such losers. They haven't won a World Series since 1908. And they'll be watching the Fall Classic on TV this year as well. Perhaps on the big-screen TV at Alfonso Soriano's place, gathered around the gimpy outfielder as he recovers from the latest hangnail that's forced him to the disabled list. But hope springs eternal, so the club has launched a campaign from local shop Jones that shows the marquee at Wrigley Field splashed with nonsense like, "Home of the Reason You Put Up With the Winters" and "Home of Coming Back From Meetings with a Sunburn." Best of all is: "Home of the 2 Hour and 47 Minute Vacation." Does it really take almost three hours to get drubbed 15-0 by the Bronx Bombers? We'll find out April 3-4 at New Yankee Stadium, an ultra-modern, super-high-tech, state-of-the-art facility with Jumbotrons that appreciate the basic rules of usage and grammar. A-Rod: 'roid free in '09. Go Yanks! —Posted by David Gianatasio |
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Published on February 13, 2009 | Permalink
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NBA to play H-O-R-S-E, but call it G-E-I-C-O
This is just idiotic. USA Today is reporting that the NBA is organizing its first H-O-R-S-E contest for All-Star Weekend on Feb. 13-15. Only it's not calling it H-O-R-S-E. It's calling it G-E-I-C-O. Which sounds so authentic! Corporate sponsorship has its place, but this move will get ridiculed endlessly, and deserves to. What a bunch of P-I-G-s. |
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Published on February 6, 2009 | Permalink
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Pittsburgh sports fans, it's time to move on
Pittsburgh has other pro sports teams besides the Super Bowl-winning Steelers? It's true! But they're all hopeless losers who haven't worn championship rings since dinosaurs roamed the earth. All the more reason they need ads, perhaps. Here's Cenergy's new work for the Penguins, who are currently in fourth place in the Atlantic division of the Eastern Conference. The ads target 11th-hour ticket seekers and time-shifters on tight schedules who apparently don't care that a 7-0 loss to the Bruins is still a blowout even if they watch it online the next day. The wedding spot above and this office cubicle spot are cute and effectively illustrate the "No matter where I am, I'm in the game" mantra. And yet, given the team's performance of late, wouldn't they rather be someplace else? —Posted by David Gianatasio |
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Published on February 5, 2009 | Permalink
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Twins players helping to build new ballpark
The Minnesota Twins debuted the spot above during local coverage of the Super Bowl. It features many of the team's stars, like Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau and Joe Nathan, delivering equipment to the franchise's new ballpark, which is under construction and set to open in 2010. Where will they play this season—some playground in St. Paul? The spot does get mileage out of the sluggers hauling the lumber, while the pitchers supply the gas and heat and have what it takes to paint the corners. That's a lot of italics, but ad shop Periscope worked hard to be clever, and I wouldn't want you to miss the jokes. What's with the '70s flute soundtrack, though? It makes the ad seem like an episode of The Streets of San Francisco. Maybe that's where the Twins will play this year! Now, at the new Yankee Stadium, you'll hear Hammond organ music, and techno when the younger players come to bat. Just like the baseball gods intended. Go Yanks in '09! |
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Published on February 3, 2009 | Permalink
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Who'll win the game of endorsement deals?
Which of Super Sunday's players are likely to end up sought after by marketers for endorsement deals? Noting that much depends on how the game itself goes, a bulletin from Dave Brown Talent (which toils in the endorsement field) points to some plausible candidates, even while conceding no player on either sideline figures to reach Peyton Manning status as an endorser. Among players on the favored Steelers, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and safety Troy Polamalu are singled out (the latter has already done that Coke Zero spot for the game), with wide receiver Hines Ward and running back Willie Parker also mentioned as possibilities. Of the Cardinals, quarterback Kurt Warner and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald are obvious endorsement-deal candidates, with wide receiver Anquan Boldin and running back Edgerrin James also in the mix. The talent firm cautions, though, that a great performance on the field doesn't necessarily translate into success as an endorser—a point it illustrates by pointing to Dexter Jackson, who won the MVP award as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer in the 2003 Super Bowl but made little impact in the marketing realm. —Posted by Mark Dolliver |
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Published on January 29, 2009 | Permalink
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Special Olympics are not really that special
TDA Advertising & Design takes a different approach than might be expected in its first work for the Special Olympics. See two more ads here. All three are designed to suggest the Special Olympics are really no different than any other serious sporting event. Thus, the tagline, "Support great athletes," stresses the universality of competition. The visuals compare slalom courses, ice rinks and finish lines, and the images are identical. Whether the Olympics in question are Special or otherwise, true competitors play to win. The Special Olympics Winter Games are set for Feb. 7-13 in Boise, Idaho. |
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Published on January 16, 2009 | Permalink
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Obama fever reaches minor-league baseball
Getting elected president is nice, of course. But having a bobblehead doll of your likeness handed out at a ballpark? Now that's something! —Posted by Mark Dolliver |
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Published on January 14, 2009 | Permalink
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Red Sox fans feel the beat in dead of winter
If you feel the conjunction of music and baseball should be confined to ballpark organists playing cheery standards, this isn't the event for you. But others will relish the opportunity to mingle at a Boston hot spot (if that's not a contradiction in terms) with the likes of Red Sox front-office wunderkind Theo Epstein and veteran baseball journalist Peter Gammons, as various bands wail away. The event is the ninth in a series of annual fundraising concerts under the catchy rubric Hot Stove Cool Music. Boston-area agency Allen & Gerritsen created the campaign for this year's edition. —Posted by Mark Dolliver |
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Published on January 8, 2009 | Permalink
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Burton's 'Playboy' snowboards: cool or not?
Burton is trying to heat up the ski slopes this winter with a new line of Playboy-branded snowboards, but the effort is getting a chilly reception in Vermont. As one (female) Vermonter told Boston.com: "When you really think about it, it's a young man standing on top of a naked woman's body. I probably could have gotten past it, because I try to have an open mind, but seeing it like that, it's offensive." My first thought, since I'm so darn progressive, was: It could also be a young woman standing atop a naked woman's body. (Well, it could be!) The city council in Burton's hometown of Burlington, Vt., might ask the company to withdraw the boards. And the Girl Scout Council of Vermont is considering taking its own concerns to lawmakers next month. (Perhaps they'll bring along some of those chocolate sandwich cookies—those can be convincing.) In any case, the story is generating some free press coverage for Vermont's ski areas, and I almost made it through this entire post without saying "snow bunnies." —Posted by David Gianatasio |
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Published on January 5, 2009 | Permalink
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