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.
When I first saw this commercial, I was amazed at the passion of the players. Frequently, as Alan mentions above, professional athletes seem to treat the game more as a profession than a passion. They want to get their points and win championships in order to build their personal legacy and to make more money down the road. In this commercial, however, the biggest NBA stars express their true love for the game. Deep down, all of the players in this commercial seem to truly love basketball, even if that is not always how it seems. Personally, I think this is a great campaign for the NBA because this genuine excitement from the players should help to energize the NBA's fan base.
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