Star Athletes ‘Never Lose the Love’ in TBWAChiatDay L.A.’s Latest for Gatorade

TBWAChiatDay L.A. launched a new spot for Gatorade featuring Serena WilliamsUsain BoltApril Ross and Paul George training hard with some help from their younger selves.

The spot opens with Williams waking up to an alarm and Young Serena saying “It’s time to play” before heading for the court. Viewers are then introduced to young versions of the other stars, who continue to push their respective older selves through rigorous training throughout the spot, set to Jimmy Durante‘s “Young at Heart.”

The message is underscored with the line “The Best Never Lose That Love” at the ad’s conclusion, gelling nicely with the overall “For the Love of Sports” brand message. In addition to the 60-second spot, the campaign also includes “Fuel the Love Forward” spots featuring Bolt, Williams and Ross telling their own stories. Additionally, Gatorade is furthering the youth sports connection by asking visitors to the campaign landing site to vote for which youth athletic charities the brand should donate to.

Nike Salutes Paul George in Powerful Ad a Week After His Horrific Injury

Nike has a habit of picking its players up—with tribute ads—after major injuries. The brand did so with Kobe Bryant in 2013, and it has now released the inspiring ad above for Paul George following his gruesome leg injury a week ago.

The theme of the Wieden + Kennedy ad is the dreadful uncertainty—short term and long term—that followed George’s open-leg fracture. But the final lines of the ad put the 24-year-old Indiana Pacers star firmly on the path to recovery.

“Without the setbacks, the comebacks aren’t as sweet,” the brand wrote on Twitter. George hasn’t acknowledged the ad directly, but on that score, he certainly seems to agree.



Former Grey Execs Launch The BAM Connection

A pair of former Grey executives — Rob Baiocco and Maureen Maldari — officially launched The BAM Connection today in Brooklyn with “the tenacious pursuit of creativity through simplicity” as their mission statement. Located at 20 Jay Street, in the middle of the tech mecca Dumbo, The BAM Connection launches with a list of clients that includes Terlato Wines, The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association and Wrangler Western Jeans, and will also be an active member of The Ad Council.

“The world of marketing is way overcomplicated,” explains Baiocco. “And all that complexity sucks the life out of ideas, gets in the way of speed, and strangles creativity. Simplicity liberates creativity. And from there, the ideas just explode outward.”

“When you’ve lived, and fought that complexity everyday, you know how to eliminate it,” added Maldari. “And I’ve gotta believe clients will rejoice because they must be exhausted by it.”

The BAM Connection hinges their approach on what they call “The One Shot Answer,” which they define as “one short, compelling phrase that nails your brand meaning, then directs and connects all your communications.” Baiocco and Maldari think the approach will appeal to those growing tired of the traditional agency model. (more…)

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Paul George Stars in New, Cheesy Papa John’s Spot

Papa John’s is releasing a new ad promoting their Sweet Chili Chicken Pizza today starring Indiana Pacers all star Paul George alongside Papa John’s founder, chairman and CEO, John Schnatter. While John’s named Grey its national agency of record back in February, this spot comes to us via ZGroup, an arm of Zimmerman Advertising.

The cheesy spot features typically terrible acting from Schnatter, who trades lines with George. “Here’s how I make my dough,” George retorts, before the spot cuts to footage of him dunking. “Sweet,” says Papa John, “like my new Sweet Chili Chicken Pizza,” in some of the most transparent copy we’ve seen in awhile. In a surprise move, George then dunks his slice in one of Papa John’s artery-clogging dipping sauces. The spot is the latest in Papa John’s line of sports-themed advertising that in the past has included the likes of Peyton Manning and Joe Montana. It’s a shame they couldn’t go a less obvious route with the Pacers star, but the Papa clearly likes to play it safe. The new ad will run nationally on cable entertainment and sports channels, as well as syndicated shows, until May 11th.

“Papa John’s is about fresh new tastes, which is why we love our partnership with Paul George,” said Schnatter in a painfully rehearsed statement. “Paul brings a fresh approach to basketball as one of the game’s new stars, which works perfectly with Papa John’s because new and fresh is the message we’re delivering with our partnership and with our new Sweet Chili Chicken Pizza.”

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