Hasta La Creative!

Kevin Durant stars in a new digital and outdoor campaign for Talking Rain’s sparkling water brand Sparkling Ice from agency jimwalkerseattle.

In the 60-second online spot, Durant is shown arriving in Seattle, shooting hoops, drinking Sparkling Ice and posing for the camera. Representatives for Durant approached the brand inquiring about an official partnership back in April after the Oklahoma City Thunder star started drinking the beverage and the campaign marks the first creative work to come out of the deal. Digital ads will run on ESPN.com and Bleacher Report, and billboards will be placed in markets with a meaningful Durant connection: Oklahoma City, of course; as well his hometown of Seat Pleasant, Maryland; and Austin, Texas, where he attended college. One place you definitely won’t see billboards is Seattle, a location where Durant’s presence may not help the brand, since the Supersonics franchise moved to Oklahoma City to become the Thunder — much to the chagrin of Seattle fans.

“It would be better if he didn’t have the Seattle connection,” Jim Andrews, a vice president at the sponsorship consultancy IEG, told AdAge. “But the positives outweigh the negatives, if we get any.”

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London-based agency enlisted trathletes the Brownlee Brothers for an endurance test displaying the battery life of the Sony Xperia Z3, which supposedly can last two days on a single charge.

The skeptical brothers are set on a series of quests involving running, biking and swimming. They periodically check in on the battery life of their phones as the trials continue, and at the end of day one the phone still has 50 percent life in it. The agency and Sony are releasing the series in two parts, so while part one has gone live, you’ll have to wait until next week to see how things ultimately pan out. But we have a hunch the battery makes it through the second day, because it would make Sony look pretty bad otherwise.

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Translation recently debuted a new spot for Sprite documenting LeBron James return to his home town of Akron, Ohio.

Entitled “LeBron James’ First Home Game” the spot follows James as a driver takes him through Akron and to Patterson Park, where Sprite has restored two basketball courts. This footage is interpersed with Akron residents discussing how epic James’ first home game for the Cavaliers will be. James arrives at Patterson Park where a throng of excited fans follows him as he sits and watches a pick up game. “They say home is where your heart is. Well my heart is here, it’s always been,” James says. “This is my first game,” he adds, before telling the guys on the court, “I’ve got next.” (Good luck with that, guys.)

It’s an emotional approach, if somewhat muted from coming on the heels of R/GA’s ad for Beats carrying much the same message. Still, aside from the awful Imagine Dragons song used to soundtrack the spot, it’s well put-together and those not already feeling overly-saturated by ads starring James (he also appears in this recent Kia spot) should find it enjoyable enough, especially Cavs fans. A 30-second version of the spot will run during the Cavs first home game later this month, and Sprite has also issued “commemorative 12-ounce cans featuring James’ likeness that are available in Ohio stores,” according to Creativity.

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David&Goliath teamed up with NBA superstar LeBron James in its latest effort for Kia, which recently extended its contract as “official automotive partner of the NBA.”

In the spot, James emerges from the Kia’s new K900 luxury sedan at some type of glitzy red carpet event. The star struck valet stumbles over his words as LeBron tosses him the keys and says “Keep it close,” followed by the taglne “Fit for a King.” Entitled “Valet,” the ad is perfectly timed, breaking today on the opening day of the NBA season. It arrives as James rides a wave of publicity for his much-discusses return to Cleveland, which was celebrated in a recent Beats campaign. At any rate, the spot aims for a stylish simplicity, letting the ride — and LeBron’s endorsement of it — mostly speak for itself. (more…)

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Agency SpecialGuest enlisted professional climber Alex Honnold to take on a route in Yosemite known as “Heaven,” in free solo fashion, meaning no rope or protective gear for an ad promoting Squarespace 7.

While Honnold is one of the world’s preeminent solo climbers, “Heaven” is no walk in the park, even for him. Before the ad was shot he’d only taken it on once without gear, and describes it as “the most severe route you’ll ever climb.” Since it also affords the best views in Yosemite, Honnold was happy to take on the challenge. A 30-second version of the spot debuted during the World Series last night, but we’ve included the full length version above.

The spot is part of a larger campaign promoting the launch of Squarespace 7 and Alex also helped inspire “Shift,” one of twelve new design templates in the latest version of Squarespace. As you may remember, he’s also not a stranger to advertising, having scaled the GS&P building this June for Stride Health. (more…)

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MUH-TAY-ZIK | HOF-FER has a new campaign for the Golden State Warriors entitled “DubTales.”

The Dubs is a nickname given to the club by fans, and the first installment in the “DubTales” campaign involves an obsessive fan/food truck owner talking up Stephen Curry. He boasts of Curry’s Herculean accomplishments such as, “the arc on his shot is so big, it fits two of each animal on Earth,” and “He makes it rain so much they’re asking him to end the California drought.” The campaign also invites fans to write their own “DubTales” to be featured on Golden State Warriors social channels, merchandise and even during games.

“In the last few years The Golden State Warriors have gone from a team that usually missed the playoffs to a contender with stars famous throughout the world,” said John Matejczyk, co-founder and executive creative director, MUH-TAY-ZIK | HOF-FER. “When you get that big, your highlights become the stuff of legend. #DubTales exaggerates and pushes those legends to incredible places.”

The campaign launched on October 13th to stoke excitement for the upcoming NBA season. New spots will continue to roll out throughout the season. (more…)

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R/GA Los Angeles celebrates LeBron James‘ much discussed return to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a new campaign for Beats by Dre entitled “Re-Established 2014.”

The campaign is centered around a 2:15 ad crafted as a sort of love letter to James’ hometown of Akron, Ohio. The spot intersperses shots of the city, including signs in churches and movie theaters celebrating his return, with a shirtless James working out in an auditorium named after him at St. Vincent-St. Mary, the high school he attended in Akron, set to Hozier’s “Tale Me to the Church.” James wears Beats earbuds while working out, the only real nod to the brand in the spot. To add to the emotional impact, the voiceover is read by Gloria James, LeBron’s mother. “This is the city that raised you,” she says, “I’m so proud of you. Welcome home, son.”

Given James’ star status and the emotional tone of the ad, it was bound to attract attention. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the video has already received over four million YouTube views since its debut two days ago. Expect that number to balloon by the time the NBA season kicks off next Tuesday. Other, shorter supporting spots in the campaign highlight different aspects of Akron, LeBron’s upbringing and homecoming.  (more…)

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BBDO New York has a new spot for Foot Locker that pits James Harden against the Internet in a best of three game of Horse.

It’s a really fun idea, in a “Why hasn’t anyone though of this before?” kind of way. Fans sent in their best shots to challenge Harden, and Harden attempts to recreate the shots. When he can make them, the Internet gets a letter, when he can’t Harden gets the letter. It makes for some compelling viewing for NBA fans, and fans of Harden in particular, and is a good way for the brand to offer original content to fans in what could easily be turned into a recurring series. Check out the video above to see how it panned out. (more…)

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Anyone who’s played squash knows it’s a frenetic game. Now, one British squash club has a fascinating new logo to match.

Melbourn Squash Club‘s new branding features a web of zigzag lines designed to look like a capital “M.” Created by Distil Studios, it’s meant to capture the spirit of smacking a ball back and forth against a wall with a racket.

The design studio explains on its site: “Avoiding generic silhouettes of players or two crossed rackets, our inspiration comes from every thwack, thud, squeak and sneaky drop shot to form their unique club initial.”

Distil creative director Neil Hedger tells Logo Design Love that the original sketch was pretty complex, and that the agency tried to simplify it—but in the end, couldn’t. “Some of the more simple approaches just lacked the energy of our original thought,” he says. “We kept much of the complexity of our first draft and opened up the spaces in between to help visual clarity. The rebounds from the left and right provide a much stronger form. We also put in just a couple of curved sneaky drop shots to break up the rigidity of the lines.”

Hedger adds: “To reflect a true squash match (and for animating the lines), we made sure the icon was formed from 2 continuous lines.”

Fast Company calls it “perfect.” For sure, it’s unusual and eye-catching. It actually seems to look kind of sinister, not unlike a mechanical spider. Or maybe “M” is for Mordor.

What do you see in this logo Rorschach test?

This ad from Major League Baseball honoring Derek Jeter is perhaps the simplest, least epic tribute we’ve seen to the Yankees captain, who, barring an unlikely postseason appearance by the team, will play his final game this Sunday against the Red Sox in Boston.

But for my money, the spot, from BBDO New York, is also the most poignant and moving Jeter tribute of the season, because it eschews grandeur and hype to focus on the future Hall of Famer’s most important legacy: the generations who grew up idolizing No. 2.

They’re embodied here by California Angeles outfielder Mike Trout, the most complete player in baseball today, along with college and high-school stars, right down to Little League phenoms Mo’ne Davis and Marquis Jackson.

In the low-key 30-second ad, we see youngsters copy Jeet’s mannerisms in the batter’s box and at shortstop, intercut with footage of the man himself, followed by the words, “A model of greatness. Thanks, Derek.”

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During his storied 20-year career, Jeter has always given 100 percent on the field—and in an era when so many professional athletes capsize in controversy, agents of their own destruction, the Captain has sailed above the fray, celebrated for his dignified demeanor and respect for the game.

Sure, it’s an image. But that’s the whole point. It’s an image worth emulating, a model for success that transcends Jeter’s many roles—team leader, five-time World Series champ, media celebrity—and gives kids hope that if they follow his example, they can overcome their struggles and achieve something great, whatever that may be.

The Jeter paeans from Gatorade (made with his input) and Nike’s Jordan Brand are each 90 seconds long and stand as suitably heartfelt, dazzling farewells to a player who’s meant so much to so many for so long.

The MLB spot goes deeper. It reminds us why heroes are important in an increasingly complex, confounding and cynical world, and gives Trout and his superstar peers a lofty standard—beyond wins, stats and multi-year contracts—to swing for.