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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180 Amsterdam’s New Campaign Positions PS4 as ‘For The Players,’ Not the Player-Haters

Last month, “#4ThePlayers Since 1995″ had us feeling all kinds of nostalgia for Playstation memories from bygone eras. Now, 180 Amsterdam looks toward the future with their “For The Players” international PS4 campaign targeting the Christmas gift market.

The integrated campaign runs in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, India, South Africa and the Middle East, comprising “teasers, events and an interactive social media experience ‘The Players Monument” (playstation.com/4theplayers) where people can declare themselves players, adding themselves to a digital interactive monument, and becoming part of the PS4 community.” Make no mistake, this is a huge campaign, one of the most anticipated of the year.

The sentiment behind the campaign is that the design of Sony’s next-gen system centers around the player. Unlike recent Xbox One spots, which emphasize the system’s capabilities as an entertainment system with multiple uses, Sony is very clearly positioning PS4 as a gaming system. While Microsoft attempts to scoop up the casual “attach this to your TV for a high-quality Netflix/Blu-ray player that you can play games with as well” market, Sony is going for the gamers.

The spot features a first person perspective through an immersive world where multiple gaming worlds have been set free. You’ll recognize some of “the most famous heroes and villains ever to play a part in PlayStation’s” gaming worlds throughout the ads scenarios. I won’t give away too much, as spotting these for yourself is part of the fun. It’s a great way to build anticipation from nostalgia, and look toward the future as the spot highlights upcoming PS4 titles as well. The spot was shot in Budapest by director Scott Lyon for production company Outsider. Al Moseley, President & Chief Creative Officer, 180 Amsterdam described the campaign as “drenched in gaming culture, incredible effects and with every detail and every pixel it delivers to the true gamer.” If all that’s not enough to get you excited for the PS4, this should be. Credits after the jump. continued…

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