CP+B Taps Kevin Hart for Vitamin Water

CP+B tapped Kevin Hart for a new Vitamin Water spot entitled “Make It Big” that, unfortunately, isn’t very funny.

The 60 second spot features Hart examining the alternatives he could have taken in his career path: keeping his day job as a shoe salesman, making friends in all the right places, being someone he isn’t. His message is that success takes hard work and hustle, which requires hydration, so that’s how Vitamin Water factors into all this. Perhaps because this line of reasoning is a bit of a stretch, Hart can be seen taking a sip of Vitamin Water at various points in the spot, such as at a bad performance in front of a tough crowd, or servicing a particularly unreceptive customer as a shoe salesman, and the spot ends with the “Hydrate the Hustle” tagline. All of these scenarios fail to live up to their comedic potential, though, making this one seem like a pretty big missed opportunity. Stick around for credits after the jump. continued…

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Nike Taps LeBron, Piqué, Bradley Cooper’s Voice for ‘Just Do It’ 25th Anniversary

At this point, Nike and AOR W+K are just showing off. Their latest spot, “Possibilities,” is a fat, splashy kick-off to the 25th anniversary of its ubiquitous slogan, “Just Do It.” These type of Nike ads have always had a mythical quality, compared to other sports brands – like certain BBDO Foot Locker commercials – that are solid and funny. Nike is serious. W+K Portland is serious. Nike, Inc. is set to earn $25 billion in revenue this year, meaning we must be serious, too, when it comes to our purchases.

Being serious does not preclude Nike from a certain playfulness if you look hard enough. For “Possibilities,” the lightness comes from some Bradley Cooper voiceover that makes the viewer want to just do it, even though said viewer knows he/she can’t do it as well as professional athletes. That’s where stars like footballer Gerard Piqué and basketballer LeBron James come in, cameos that are almost taking the money out of your wallet before you know it.

For LeBron, the unofficial king of the summer, Nike has been creatively pumping out his spots for a few years now. This one may be a joint venture, but he subtly dominates the end with some clever winking done in the form of a fake dunk content. LeBron has never entered the NBA dunk contest. Maybe this is a hint for 2014? Or maybe it’s just smart marketing? Plenty of possibilities to choose from.

Credits after the jump.

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