W+K Amsterdam, Blake Griffin Rise ‘Above Expectations’ for Foot Locker, Nike

W+K Amsterdam looked to Blake Griffin to celebrate the arrival of the new Nike Jordan collection to Foot Locker with a new ad entitled “Above Expectations.”

The 30-second spot, filmed in black and white by director Paul Hunter, addresses Griffin’s naysayers, who pigeonhole the Clippers star as “just a dunker.” Addressing those expectations right away, the voiceover advises viewers, “If you expect another Blake Griffin dunk compilation, change the channel,” before going on to commend the star on his rebound, passing and ball-handling skills. Thankfully, it doesn’t highlight Griffin’s slam poetry skills. “That’s the thing about expectations,” the spot concludes, “you can live up to them, or rise above them.” Playfully, the online version of the ad then advertises a link to “See the jump man dunk, man” which links to a video where Griffin concedes “Alright, you’ve come this far, I’ll give you just one.”

The spot is airing on broadcast in France and Italy, as well as online across Europe, where it is supported by digital and social initiatives.

“The Jordan brand has a long tradition of showing athletes in a unique light, so it was nice to show the world a whole other side to Blake Griffin,” said David Smith, Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam creative director, in a press release. (more…)

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NZ Telecom, Saatchi & Saatchi Make Us Wait in ‘Waiting is Over’

How do you make an ad about waiting? The worst approach might be to show paused scenes while the dulcet notes of a piano play in the background. Sure, the hi-res shots of robots falling, halted car chases in progress, and rock concerts are good-looking, but if I saw this ad a second or a third time on TV, I would hit mute and go get some ice cream.

The new spot for New Zealand Telecom via Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand and GoodOil director Michael Spiccia ends with a close-up on a car chase hero. He blinks, and the tagline appears: “Waiting is over.” Instead of this indulgent imagery, I’d much rather see a humorous piece on how impatient we’ve become in the Internet Age, or a puppet-filled drama in a doctor’s office. “Waiting is Over” looks like something that would play (and could work) on the New Zealand equivalent of Best Buy’s panoramic screens, but watching it online or on TV, I just feel twitchy. The waiting better be over.

Additional TV, radio, digital and outdoor executions will be rolling out over the coming weeks. Check out the credits after the jump

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