Hasta La Creative!

In “Ripple,” the latest Nike Golf ad, we witness the journey of a way-back-when Rory McIlroy, following the career of his idol, Tiger Woods.

The young boy watches Woods play, puts his posters up in his room, and experiences his own victories and losses as he plays the game himself. The film culminates with a scene of current-day superstar McIlroy teeing off after Woods at the start of a round.

Created by Wieden + Kennedy, the spot is lovely and inspirational. It’s also not the first time McIlroy and Woods have appeared in a Nike Golf ad together. This follows the funny and very popular “No Cup Is Safe” spot from 2013, although with a completely different tone.

After signing McIlroy, 25, to a five-year contract in 2013, it’s clear Nike wants to position him as the heir to Woods, 39. And McIlroy is showing signs of living up to that hype—he’s won four majors now, though of course it’s a long way from Woods’ 14.

“It’s been an incredible journey for me, going from massive fan to competitor,” McIlroy said in a statement. “To think that not too long ago I was that little boy watching him on TV to where I am now. It’s been a cool journey and I’m very lucky I get to compete with and against him, because he inspired me as a kid and he inspires me now. He’s the best player I’ve ever seen.”

CREDITS
Client: Nike Golf

Agency: Wieden + Kennedy, Portland, Ore.
Creative Directors: Chris Groom / Stuart Brown
Copywriter: Brock Kirby
Art Director: Derrick Ho
Producer: Jeff Selis
Interactive Strategy: Reid Schilperoort
Strategic Planning: Andy Lindblade / Brandon Thornton
Media/Comms Planning: Alex Dobson / Jocelyn Reist
Account Team: Alyssa Ramsey / Rob Archibald / Heather Morba / Ramiro Del-Cid
Business Affaires: Dusty Slowik
Project Management: Nancy Rea
Executive Creative Directors: Joe Staples / Mark Fitzloff
Head of Production: Ben Grylewicz

Production Company: Biscuit Filmworks
Director: Steve Rogers
Executive Producer: Holly Vega
Line Producer: Vincent Landay
Director of Photography: Nicolas Karakatsanis

Editorial Company: Joint Editorial
Editor: Peter Wiedensmith
Post Producer: Leslie Carthy
Post Executive Producer: Patty Brebner

VFX Company: The Mill
VFX Supervisor: Tim Davies
Flame Artist:
VFX Producer: Will Lemmon
Titles/Graphics:

Composer: Ludovico Einaudi
Song (if applicable): Nuvole Bianche

Digital/Interactive:
Agency: Wieden + Kennedy, Portland, Ore.
Creative Director: Chris Groom / Stuart Brown
Copywriter: Brock Kirby
Art Director: Derrick Ho
Producer: Jeff Selis
Interactive Strategy: Reid Schilperoort
Strategic Planning: Andy Lindblade / Brandon Thornton
Media/Comms Planning: Alex Dobson / Jocelyn Reist
Account Team: Alyssa Ramsey / Rob Archibald / Heather Morba / Ramiro Del-Cid
Executive Creative Directors: Joe Staples / Mark Fitzloff
Agency Executive Producer: Ben Grylewicz
Digital Designer: Rob Mumford
Exec Interactive Producer: Patrick Marzullo
Content Producer : Byron Oshiro
Broadcast: Jeff Selis
Art Buying: Amy Berriochoa
Photographer: Luke Delong

The NBA is putting a whole new spin on throwback jerseys.

The professional basketball league has launched its first-ever campaign around NCAA March Madness by employing a neat visual trick—showing NBA stars with overlaid animations of the college uniforms from their NCAA days.

Stephen Curry, James Harden, Al Horford, Kyle Lowry, Paul Pierce, Dwyane Wade and Russell Westbrook all star in 15-second ads from Translation, voiced by the indomitable Dick Vitale.

It’s not just the clothes that change. Westbrook, presently of the Oklahoma City Thunder and formerly of the UCLA Bruins, transforms into a bear wearing a pair of the player’s infamous red glasses. Even the YouTube video descriptions are packed with Vitale slang, Easter eggs for the hardcore zealots.

Running under the tagline “The dance never ends,” it’s a nice simple concept, illustrating that some of the college stars that viewers are cheering on now will be in the NBA soon enough—and that it’s OK to enjoy both leagues.

The spots don’t show the pros giving up wads of cash as they return to the NCAA, though.

CREDITS
Brand/Client: NBA
Campaign Title: March Madness
Spot Title: 2015 March Madness Animated, Baby!  
First Air Date: 3/23/15

Agency: Translation 
Chief Executive Officer: Steve Stoute 
Chief Creative Officer: John Norman
Chief Strategy Officer: John Greene
Executive Creative Director: Betsy Decker
Senior Creative: Matthew McFerrin
Senior Creative: Armando Samuels
Senior Creative: Matt Comer
Head of Brand Strategy: Tim Flood
Strategist: Lindsey Neeld, Geoff McHenry
Director of Broadcast Production: Miriam Franklin
Executive Producer: Carole McCarty
Associate Producer: Philinese Kirkwood
Business Affairs Manager: Brian Enright
SVP, Group Account Director: Tim Van Hoof
Account Executive: Chris Martin
Senior Project Manager: Matt DeSimone

Production Company: Blacklist / Golden Wolf
Executive Producer: Andrew Linsk
Producer: Patrick Gantert
Creative Director: Ingi Erlingsson
Producer: Ant Baena
Production Assistant: Corina Priestley
Roto / Prep: Krishnan Balakrishnan, Nikita Alagan, Aravindan.C, Thirupathi Raja, Stephan, Arun.N, Murthy.N, Satish.R
Design: Stefan Falconer, Pedro Vergani
Animation: Stefan Falconer, Tim Whiting, Pablo Lozano, Mattias Breitholtz, Romain Loubersanes, Steffano Ottaviano, Harj Bains, Samuel Bell, Duncan Gist

Post Company: WAX, New York
Editor: Joe Dillingham
Assistant Editor: Nate Kim
Managing Partner: Toni Lipari
Senior Producer: Evan Meeker
Conform: WAX

Color Grade (NBA footage): CO3, New York
Colorist: Tom Poole
Producer: Rochelle Brown
Assistant Colorist: Kath Raisch

Color Grade (Animation): WAX
Colorist: Steve Picano

Audio Post: Sonic Union
Engineer (Mix): David Papa
Engineer (Mix): Fernando Ascani
Studio Director: Justine Cortale
Mix Assistant: Ben Conlon

VO TALENT:
VO: Dick Vitale
VO: Todd Cummings

Music / Sound Design: Future Perfect Music
Composer: Victor Margo
Executive Producer: Maxwell Gosling
Executive Producer: John Connolly

Common is a busy man these days, winning a Golden Globe (for the song “Glory” from Selma), getting nominated for two Grammys and an Oscar (also for “Glory”), and providing the voiceover for two stirring Microsoft ads on the Super Bowl.

As if that weren’t enough, he also found time to voice this new ad promoting the 2015 NBA All-Star Game in New York.

Created by the New York office of DDB, the spot mixes live action and animation, with flashes of NYC landmarks like the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge. The ad goes up online today and will appear soon on those TV screens in New York City cabs and on your living room screen as well.

In an Adweek exclusive, here’s a first look:

Oh, and if you think Common is perpetually holed up in some recording studio, think again: He’ll also play in a celebrity basketball game in the runup to the All-Star Game, which takes place Feb. 15 at Madison Square Garden.

CREDITS
Client: NBA
Agency: DDB, New York
Executive Creative Director: Joseph Cianciotto
Creative Director: Rich Sharp
Creative Director: Mike Sullivan
Art Director: Mina Mikhael
Copywriter: Turan Tuluy
Producer: Tiffany Campbell
Account Executive: Jackie Schultz
Design and Animation: Transistor Studios

Translation has just debuted its first work for the NBA, following being awarded the account in December.

In the new spot, entitled “Barrier Breakers,” Translation celebrates the NBA’s history of inclusiveness: from the league’s color barrier being broken in 1950; to Violet Palmer, the league’s first female ref; to Jason Collins, the first openly-gay player in the NBA. Images of these “Barrier Breakers” are set to excerpts from Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I Have A Dream” speech. The ad made its debut online today and will extend to broadcast during NBA games this coming Monday, Martin Luther King Day, and continue to air for five weeks.

“Barrier Breakers” seems to be Translation and the NBA’s effort to put last year’s Donald Sterling incident behind them as a dark moment in the history of a league that otherwise has many moments to celebrate. How tasteful viewers find the ad will depend largely on how they view the commercial use of the words of Martin Luther King, and whether they interpret the ad as simply designed to sell more seats or as having higher intentions.

Credits:

Title: Breaking Barriers
Client: NBA
Agency: Translation
CEO: Steve Stoute
Chief Creative Officer: John Norman
Executive Creative Director: Betsy Decker
Art Director: Matt Comer
Copywriters: Andy Ferguson, Betsy Decker
Director of Content Production/EP: Miriam Franklin
Associate Producer: Philinese Kirkwood
Account team: Tim Van Hoof, Chris Martin
Chief Strategy Officer: John Greene
Head of Brand Strategy: Tim Flood
Strategist: Lindsey Neeld
Project Manager: Matt DeSimone
Editorial Company: Cut & Run
Editor: Dayn Williams
Assistant Editor: Adam Bazadona
Post Executive Producer: Rana Martin
Post Producer: Jean Lane
Visual Effects: Sibling Rivalry
Creative Director: Matt Tragesser
Animator/Compositor: Gabe Darling
Executive Producer: Maggie Meade
Head of Production: Joanna Fillie
Post Producer: Tracey McDonough
Telecine/Conform: Company Three/Method
Colorist: Rob Sciarratta
Flame Artist: Carmen Maxcy
Audio Post: Heard City
Mixers: Phil Loeb, Evan Mangiameli
Executive Producer: Gloria Pitagorsky
Music: Trackmasters

In anticipation of tonight’s matchup between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors, ESPN is airing a new “This is SportsCenter” spot from W+K New York featuring Warriors star Steph Curry.

Curry joins SportsCenter anchors Stan Verrett and Neil Everett in the ESPN cafeteria, where he thanks two cooks for (accidentally) celebrating his recent performance on the court by serving chicken curry. The anchors try to convince Curry it’s a coincidence, but he’s not buying it, even after the cooks’ confused glances. It’s one of the more fun SportsCenter spots in a while, as, even if the premise is a little obvious, Curry plays his part well enough to make it work.

There’s also a “Kitchen Warriors” installment in which Steph squares off against his wife, Ayesha Curry, to see who can make the better chicken curry. With their daughter Riley as the judge, it soon becomes clear Steph’s skills are on the court, not in the kitchen.

Note: credits only apply to the first spot; “Kitchen Warriors” was created by the client.

(more…)

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

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…)

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Sonic has signed a multi-year endorsement deal with Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant, the brand’s first sports endorsement deal, Adweek reports.

As part of the deal, Durant will star alongside Sonic’s “Two Guys” in a national broadcast campaign expected this summer. The “Two Guys” in question, New York-based former The Colbert Report writer Peter Grosz and Chicago-based improv comedian T.J. Jagodowski, have been a staple of the brand’s advertising since being brought back by GSP+P in early 2012, two years after being phased out after their initial run with Kansas City-based agency Barkley. Durant will also be involved with Sonic educational charity Limeades for Learning and will help brainstorm new menu items.

Durant achieved instant-celebrity with his emotional acceptance speech for the NBA MVP award, which, coupled with his connection to Sonic’s hometown of Oklahoma City, attracted the attention of CMO Todd Smith. “What really happened was the MVP speech that he made last year really pushed him into a national presence more, but also, his likability is off the charts,” Smith told Adweek. “For us, we wanted someone who has a hometown feel with a national presence because that’s the type of brand we are.”

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

MMB teamed up with production company Aggressive for a new holiday campaign for Subway employing a mix of methods in three different spots.

The animated 30-second “Winter Wonderland,” introduces Subway’s holiday “Customer Appreciation” event, which sees the fast food sandwich chain offering two of its most longstanding offerings — the meatball marinara and coldcut combo — for a reduced price. “Winter Wonderland” keeps the holiday vibe low-key, with the music and background animation celebrating the season in general rather than a specific winter holiday in particular. Two 15-second spots take a similarly laid-back approach, but swap out the animation for live action spots with appearances by NFL stars Justin Tuck and Robert Griffin III in “Famous Fans” and the brand’s longtime spokesman in “Jared.” There’s nothing particularly memorable here, as MMB and Aggressive seem to rely on the deal speaking to fans of the brand without any unnecessary bells and whistles. (more…)

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Adidas is celebrating the launch of its revamped NBA Swingman jersey line with a new spot starring Portland Trailblazers star Damian Lillard.

The spot follows Lillard as he is shadowed by his “swingman,” who is as devoted to being a great “swingman” as Lillard is to being a great basketball player. He sets out to “think like Damian, act like Damian, smell like Damian,” even if he can’t play like him. The ad attempts a humorous tone, but while it shoots for laughs, it ultimately comes up empty. Additional ads in the series featuring Kenneth Faried of the Denver Nuggets and Joakim Noah of the Chicago Bulls will follow in the coming days. Adidas’ NBA Swingman jerseys are available now at NBAStore.com and the NBA Store on Fifth Avenue and retails for $110.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Are you up for some BGCP3TV in HD?

Los Angeles Clippers stars Blake Griffin and Chris Paul have each shown, separately, that they can anchor comedy. In State Farm’s Chris and Cliff campaign, Paul showed that he’s perhaps the NBA’s most gifted endorser. And Griffin? Well, he’s done so much comedy that he has his own section on Funny or Die.

Now, they’ve teamed up for an interesting project from Wieden + Kennedy New York and Jordan Brand—a pair of five-minute videos that are full of quirky comedy sketches. Both are pretty amusing—not surprising, since Neal Brennan, co-creator of The Chappelle Show, served as director and co-writer on these.

Griffin and Paul are launching new shoes a month apart, but these sketches are a whole lot more entertaining than some action footage would have been.

W+K’s Eric Helin wrote some sketches, as did Brennan. There wasn’t too much improvising—most of what you see was on the page, though Griffin and Paul made it their own. “I’ve worked with a ton of athletes and can honestly say Blake & Chris are among the best,” said Gary Van Dzura, W+K creative director. “They’re natural in front of the camera and have a great comedic timing.”

“Pretty much what you see is what you get,” Brennan added. “They’re friends who clearly spend a lot of time together. They like and respect each other and are used to making jokes all day. I was also amazed at how quickly they were able to memorize the material.”

Asked if there was a limit to how goofy he wanted the sketches to be, Brennan said: “One of the sketches that got cut out was super crazy. But I don’t think anybody really thought of them as crazy/not crazy. At least I didn’t. I just thought of them as tonally correct and funny/not funny. The Ohhh Bros. sketch is about guys whose lives are ruined by reacting to basketball plays. That’s pretty crazy.”

CREDITS
Client: Jordan Brand
Project: BGCP3TV in HD
Agency: Wieden + Kennedy, New York
Executive Creative Directors: Susan Hoffman, David Kolbusz
Creative Directors: Gary Van Dzura, Jimm Lasser
Writer: Eric Helin
Art Director: Erwin Federizo
Head of Content Production: Nick Setounski
Producer: Orlee Tatarka
Account Team: Jerico Cabaysa, Price Manford, Heather Morba, Cory McCollum
Business Affairs: Sara Jagielski
Production Company: Go Films
Director: Neal Brennan (Director & Co-Writer)
Executive Producer/COO: Gary Rose
Executive Producer: Adam Bloom
Line Producer: Marc Benardout
Director of Photography: Chuck Ozeas
Editorial Company: Starch Media
Editor: Bijan Shams,  Scott Ashby, Jeremy Hsu
Post Producer: Susan Applegate
VFX Company: Stardust & Elastic
VFX Lead Flame: Alex Frisch
Telecine Company: MPC LA
Colorist: Ricky Gausis
Mix Company: Eleven
Mixer: Jeff Payne & Ben Freer
Producer: Susanne Hollingshead
Song: “Junkyard”  (Original Composition)
Artist: James Poyser