Various Nike Commercials

Building off of my other blog post, I want to focus on a few Nike commercials with no words, just all music and sounds. The first two are very similar, just involve different sports. Both have a nice mix of stars and random people which I think really adds to the commercial. Instead of just seeing these superstars doing these incredible tricks, there are regular people in there also. You can’t help but smile when you see all the synchronization and choreography among all the people. One of my favorite parts of either commercial is in the soccer one when at one point it’s just a goalie standing there, kind of bouncing from side to side trying to get into the rhythm with balls being kicked at him. It’s a sharp contrast to the rest of the commercial but it’s hilarious and makes it feel like they just found a random guy on the street who’s trying to fit in with everyone, but clearly doesn’t have the skills to.

As mentioned before, what really steals the commercials is the music. All the sounds are made up with sports noises. The beat in the basketball commercial is set early on with the bouncing of the basketball. Throughout the commercial, there’s the familiar squeaking of basketball shoes against the hardwood floor, a loud grunt every now and then from a player, and other noises you’d hear at any basketball game. The soccer version is pretty much similar with a few slight changes such as some whistles/fans cheering and even a bit of some Brazilian flair with a little samba.

The last video is an incredibly simple and elegant video. It’s Tiger Woods (before his fiasco) simply bouncing a golf ball on his club. He does all sorts of tricks and makes it look like it’s no big deal. The best part about the commercial isn’t actually seen though. The commercial idea was actually created impromptu. Tiger was just messing around in between takes for a different commercial and was entertaining some of the camera crew when an executive saw it and thought it’d be a great commercial. The combination of the easy-goingness of the music and the way Tiger makes everything look so simple and elegant make this an incredible commercial which gives the viewer a feel-good vibe.

The Power of Parodies

In my last post, I talked a lot about the NFL and the commercials that they aired during this year’s postseason. In particular, I talked about the strategy to use fan reaction videos to convince the casual sports fan to watch the NFL playoffs. However, the true genius behind this marketing plan lies far beyond what is seen on the television screen, but rather in its ability to be replicated and, to an even greater extent, parodied. Take this example with the Minnesota Vikings:

The fact that the commercial campaign is being parodied demonstrates the level to which the campaign as a whole is successful. It shows that not only can it be commercially successful, but virally successful as well. Popular video websites such as YouTube and Vimeo allow users to upload virtually any content, and we very often see videos “go viral.” This provides even more free advertisement to the NFL, and sparks dialogue that spans pages (as seen in the “comments” section). Additionally, on a site like YouTube there are suggested videos on the page that are similar to the one being watched, so when parodies are made the suggested videos often link back to the originals.

In general, a parody of a video (or in this case of a commercial) represents a much stronger connection to a video’s message. The creator is making a commitment to the video by taking the time to think of and craft a video in the same vain as the original, but he/she demonstrates a deeper level of understanding by parodying it. In this case, the message is the emotional appeal of one’s favorite team making a big play to win an important game; in the parody it shows the emotional wreckage that can happen when fans find themselves on the other side of that big play. This is encapsulated in the above video best from 0:48-0:53, as we see a Vikings fan repeatedly slamming an object against a countertop while the NFL Playoffs tagline, “This Is What It’s All About,” reads across the screen.

Reebok's Terry Tate Office Linebacker Commercial

Reebok’s “Terry Tate Office Linebacker” commercial from the 2003 Superbowl is easily one of my favorite commercials of all time. This commercial is based on a company that hires an office linebacker to ensure maximum productivity of its workforce. The linebacker, named Terry Tate, goes around the office tackling and screaming at the workers when they are slacking on the job.

One of the most enjoyable parts of this commercial is its use of comedy. It is extremely funny to see Terry Tate tackling and screaming at the workers. He is running around the office knocking people into oblivion. A lot of the comedy in this commercial draws from the notion of an incorrect context. On a football field, it would be very normal to see a defender tackling and taunting an opponent. In an office building, however, this behavior is somewhat unprecedented. Thus, the inconsistency of a football player patrolling around an office building plays a big part in creating the comedy of the commercial.

Additionally, this commercial’s appeal does not derive from a star athlete. Terry Tate is not a real NFL linebacker. Rather, he is a made-up character that represents any generic linebacker. Therefore, unlike many sports commercials explored in this blog, star appeal does not have any role in making this commercial a success. Instead of star appeal, this commercial seems to succeed due to its novelty. The majority of people who saw this commercial during the Superbowl were football fans. Moreover, many of these people work in an office building during the week. These two components of the their lives, however, are often kept far away from each other. As a result, the combination of work life and football into one commercial appeals to all of these viewers who probably wish their office life could be more related to football. Overall, this commercial is a hysterical and clever integration of football and office life that is easily relatable to many Americans.

Gatorade's "Be Like Mike"

Gatorade’s “Be Like Mike” commercial is potentially the most iconic sports commercial of all time. It may also represent the most shameless, albeit effective use of the sporting celebrity and the sporting highlight in a commercial to date. Its creators craft an utterly happy atmosphere, one in which a plethora of distinct voices can be heard joyously singing phrases like “I want to be like Mike” and “Sometimes, I dream that he is me”. All the while, the viewer is being relentlessly hit with a bevy of famous Jordan highlights, cute kids/regular people trying to replicate his greatness, and generally amiable interactions between Jordan and others. The commercial is overwhelmingly, almost sickening, pleasant. It does, however, deliver a clear and concise message – if you want to be like Michael Jordan, drink Gatorade. In a sense, this commercial is emphasizing a truth. Michael Jordan likely does drink Gatorade, as do most athletes, and by drinking Gatorade, you are now more like him. To the incredibly naïve, this commercial instead says, “drink Gatorade and you will be able to play basketball like Michael Jordan,” which will most assuredly not be the case.

Jordan’s presence and highlights within the “Be Like Mike” commercial are unbelievably successful marketing tools. People generally desire association with things that are cool, exiting, dynamic, and culturally relevant. Michael Jordan and his highlights were all of these things. The commercial was first aired during the summer of 1991, right after the conclusion of the NBA’s 1990/1991 season. Jordan had just been crowned the finals MVP, the regular season MVP, and the Bulls had won the NBA Championship. Jordan was undoubtedly one of the most famous athletes in the world. But, he was more than just immensely successful, he was cool and colorful, an obvious choice for a product spokesman. Gatorade’s decision to have Jordan appear in their commercials proved to be a shrewd business move as it helped launch the product into unprecedented success. This was largely due to Jordan’s natural salesmanship. He didn’t have to be a textbook salesman, instead he just had to continue being cool and relevant, which he did. People truly did want to “be like Mike” and that’s why this commercial was so successful.

McDonald's and Basketball- Through the Years

Call me crazy, but when I think of McDonald’s, my mind doesn’t immediately spring to thoughts of in-shape, professional basketball players. However, this is the direction McDonald’s advertisers have gone in for literally decades. One of their most recent commercials features superstars Lebron James and Dwight Howard squaring off in a slam-dunk contest where the winner gets a Big Mac, obviously a coveted prize for two professional athletes who, if need be, could buy an entire McDonalds in order to get their hands on one. While this commercial could stand by itself in its entertainment value, what is most exciting is that it is a copy-cat of a 1990’s McDonald’s ad featuring the basketball superstars of the time, Michael Jordan and Larry Bird, taking jump-shots for the same prize.

The past commercial creates audience foreknowledge for those who were around in the 90’s, providing definite information the audience can bring to this commercial. The premise and dialog are almost identical, with the exception of changing the jump-shot contest into the more visually spectacular slam-dunks. This might be because Dwight Howard is not a jump shooter, Larry Bird was not much of a dunker and well, MJ and Lebron James do both, or because the technology in the 1990’s was only advanced enough to show outrageously complicated jump shots as opposed to dunks like the ones performed in the recent installment of the commercial by James and Howard. Although it is clear that in both commercials some of the shots were edited, the stars’ skills are still showcased and we can marvel at their outstanding abilities. It is fun as the audience to also witness the playful interactions between both sets of superstars who are each other’s rivals. Dwight Howard’s big, comical personality is front and center in the commercial while Lebron simply dunks when he is supposed to and smiles along with us. Bird and Jordan make faces at each other as the contest continues on and on until they are taking shots from the top of a skyscraper across the street.

The real genius in the recent commercial is its self-referentiality. The Howard/James commercial is not only identical to the Bird/Jordan version, but it features Larry Bird at the end of the commercial eating the player’s Big Mac. The audience can laugh at Bird who is finally getting the lunch he competed for 20 years earlier while watching a new generation of players from the sidelines. For those who do not know of the 90’s version of the commercial but who are still basketball fans and familiar with the Hall-of-Fame career of Bird, the fact that James and Howard do not recognize him is a comical twist. Those of a younger generation, who are similar to James and Howard in their ignorance of basketball history, can relate to the stars and still find the commercial entertaining on a more shallow level.

For someone who loves basketball and watches the NBA slam-dunk contest every year, this commercial is a lot of fun for me. Although I don’t think it is all that likely Lebron James and Dwight Howard are rolling up to the drive through window every chance they get, McDonald’s has used an effective technique to portray the continued success of their signature Big Mac and fries among superstar basketball players. Will they follow up in another 20 years? As long as basketball and the Big Mac are still popular, I can’t see why not.

Blake Griffin for the Kia Optima

It is safe to say that Kia wants its new commercial to be a “slam dunk,” literally. In this commercial, the automobile company is clearly appealing to the emerging stardom of Blake Griffin, a high flying NBA rookie who has taken the basketball world by storm. He has grown to be so popular that whenever he has a highlight, it is almost immediately uploaded onto Youtube or NBA.com. There are certain stars in the NBA that only people who watch basketball know about, but Blake Griffin is not one of them. His memorizing dunks not only appeal to the basketball fan, but also to anyone who can appreciate the spectacular and the amazing. What Blake Griffin does can even remind us of previous commercials done by the NBA where its slogan was: “The NBA. Where amazing happens.”

What is even more special about this commercial is that the highlight is not even from an actual game. It is actually one of Griffin’s dunks from the 2011 Slam Dunk Contest. This clearly demonstrates that it is not necessary to directly connect a product with the game itself, but only necessary to associate the product with one of the game’s stars and with one defining moment that happened to be part of All-Star weekend. This commercial is also an example of cross-promotion. For instance, KIA Motors is attempting to market its automobile, the KIA optima, through another venue, which in this case, is the professional basketball world. The commercial wants the viewer to know that Blake Griffin is amazing, but so is the KIA Optima.

It is also not a coincidence that State Farm Insurance is clearly depicted in the commercial as being behind the backboard. This is an example of product packaging where if the viewer is compelled to buy the KIA Optima after watching the commercial, he or she might also be compelled to buy State Farm Insurance to go along with it. The only disappointing part about the commercial might be that Blake Griffin does not come with the car.

NBA 2010 - 2011 Season Opening Commercial TNT

This commercial about the upcoming NBA season spins the idea of marketing in a unique way. Instead of marketing a product, this commercial is marketing a sport itself. The NBA knows that the best time to excite its current fans and to garner new fans is at the beginning of the season. Thus, they have decided to showcase the league’s most exciting stars in an attempt to market the game of basketball. From Brandon Roy hitting a game winning jumper to Kobe and Lebron dunking over helpless defenders, the NBA is hoping that many people will be appealed by the excitement and amazingness that basketball can bring.

The commercial also displays the fanaticism that comes with being a sports fan. For many of us who are sports fans, it is not just a game, it is a way of life. We are just as excited as the players themselves when our teams win and perhaps, even more despondent than they are when our team loses. The commercial also shows how passionate NBA players are about basketball. Most of the time, the casual fan appears to think that these professional athletes do not care about winning or losing, but only about getting their paycheck. However, when Nate Robinson says, “If you took my heart out, it would be a basketball” and when Dwyane Wade says, “It makes me complete,” people will start to realize that some of these professional athletes are truly passionate about the game of basketball. It is their job, but they love to do it. Kobe even goes on to mention that he loves the sound of the nets and the smell of the leather on the basketball.

The NBA, in this commercial, is essentially dramatizing the game of basketball. These are not just superior athletes playing competitively on the court, but they are also human beings who can feel emotions and who use those emotions to fuel their play. To the basketball fan, this commercial will reinforce what they were already feeling, that whether it is the players or the fans, we are all equally important in making the game what it is. To someone who is looking to do something new, the commercial will hopefully show them that basketball is about passion, competition and always striving for excellence.