Michael changed his sport.
Cassius changed his name.
Tiger changed his swing (insert your joke here).
Marv Albert changed his clothes.
Carlton Fisk just changed his Sox.
Renee Richards changed sexes.
Sugar Ray changed his mind (a few times).
Kenny Lofton changed teams (17 times, an MLB record).
Change isn’t always necessarily good, as the above examples may or may not prove. But it’s hard to argue that change changes the game.
And in my experience, change is good.
So as of today, SportsCentric is retired. And Twist Your Thinking is launched.
I loved writing about Sports and Marketing, but that was when I wanted to be a Sports and Marketing person when I grew up. Not that I’ve grown up, I want to be a person who pokes, prods, inspires, informs, shares, celebrates, collaborates, and forces people to think differently to come up with better ideas.
I want to make you Twist Your Thinking. Come and get it.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
A message for Reebok: You suck.
You suck for taking a brand with great potential and doing 17 random campaigns over 15 years.
You suck for spending 100’s of millions of dollars on properties like the NFL and barely ever activating them.
You suck for being so desperate for attention that you do an ad like this:
“Make your boobs jealous?”
Actually, it’s hard to blame the folks who created and made this ad. They came up with an attention-getting idea. But their challenge is to sell a shoe that’s “proven to shape your butt up to 28% more and your hamstrings and calves up to 11% more than regular sneakers.” Do you get a free bottle of snake oil with every pair? Forget the fact that the announcer talks so fast that the statistics are forgotten before he’s done talking. It’s the statistics themselves that are the head-shaker.
Don’t get me wrong: I liked this ad. With the sound turned off. It’s pleasing to boob likers, a group from which I wouldn’t exclude myself. But when the boobs start talking it feels like two boys in freshmen AV class wrote the dialogue and cast their ex-Valley Girl moms as the boob-overs.
Let’s just hope Reebok doesn’t come up with a new sports bra. I cringe just thinking about what the other body parts might have to say about that.
You suck for spending 100’s of millions of dollars on properties like the NFL and barely ever activating them.
You suck for being so desperate for attention that you do an ad like this:
“Make your boobs jealous?”
Actually, it’s hard to blame the folks who created and made this ad. They came up with an attention-getting idea. But their challenge is to sell a shoe that’s “proven to shape your butt up to 28% more and your hamstrings and calves up to 11% more than regular sneakers.” Do you get a free bottle of snake oil with every pair? Forget the fact that the announcer talks so fast that the statistics are forgotten before he’s done talking. It’s the statistics themselves that are the head-shaker.
Don’t get me wrong: I liked this ad. With the sound turned off. It’s pleasing to boob likers, a group from which I wouldn’t exclude myself. But when the boobs start talking it feels like two boys in freshmen AV class wrote the dialogue and cast their ex-Valley Girl moms as the boob-overs.
Let’s just hope Reebok doesn’t come up with a new sports bra. I cringe just thinking about what the other body parts might have to say about that.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Go ahead, have the bone-In filet!
Today SportsCentric takes a break from being centered on sports, but to stay focused on marketing, we’ll talk about one of the unrecognized victims of the economic meltdown:
Expense accounts.
The handsomely postured, starched collared and pillbox hatted employees of places like the Peninsula and Joe’s Stone Crab are feeling a little lonely these days, but the happy, efficient folks at Chili’s and Chipotle and the Inns Holiday and Hampton can’t wipe the smiles off their faces. Airlines are missing you but video conferencing is loving you. Sorry about losing your premium status at hotels worldwide. There’s always 2010.
How many times have I sat at my local Starbucks and heard two newly-minted sole proprietors hearken back to they days (well actually, last year) when they got “$55 bone-in filets at Joe’s—the ones that were only on the dinner menu but my guy would get em for me at lunch…”
Well, not that many times. But I do know that these days, a lot more business lunches are taking place at Roti instead of Rosebud. $45 for a steak in 2007 was not a big deal for a person wooing a new client or getting more business from a current one. But in 2009, that’s a little harder to justify. You should be more resourceful these days, right? Get the business without spending too much. Invest your brainpower instead of your credit power.
The smart and talented folks at Maloney and Porcelli understand that.
So they’re making it a little easier for you to enjoy one of their gorgeous well marbled steaks with their online Expense-A-Steak Headquarters.
With this playful expense account tool, you can have it all. They provide you fake receipts from fake places like Office Supply Hut, but the best part is the doggie bag: They’ll put your leftover steak in a Chipotle bag, so not only can you head back to the office with a new client, you can do it with a clean conscience.
Expense accounts.
The handsomely postured, starched collared and pillbox hatted employees of places like the Peninsula and Joe’s Stone Crab are feeling a little lonely these days, but the happy, efficient folks at Chili’s and Chipotle and the Inns Holiday and Hampton can’t wipe the smiles off their faces. Airlines are missing you but video conferencing is loving you. Sorry about losing your premium status at hotels worldwide. There’s always 2010.
How many times have I sat at my local Starbucks and heard two newly-minted sole proprietors hearken back to they days (well actually, last year) when they got “$55 bone-in filets at Joe’s—the ones that were only on the dinner menu but my guy would get em for me at lunch…”
Well, not that many times. But I do know that these days, a lot more business lunches are taking place at Roti instead of Rosebud. $45 for a steak in 2007 was not a big deal for a person wooing a new client or getting more business from a current one. But in 2009, that’s a little harder to justify. You should be more resourceful these days, right? Get the business without spending too much. Invest your brainpower instead of your credit power.
The smart and talented folks at Maloney and Porcelli understand that.
So they’re making it a little easier for you to enjoy one of their gorgeous well marbled steaks with their online Expense-A-Steak Headquarters.
With this playful expense account tool, you can have it all. They provide you fake receipts from fake places like Office Supply Hut, but the best part is the doggie bag: They’ll put your leftover steak in a Chipotle bag, so not only can you head back to the office with a new client, you can do it with a clean conscience.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Talk about a stimulus package...
I shouldn’t admit what this new site from Puma makes me wish for. But it’s definitely not a fiscally responsible wish. If Puma has its way, a lot of people out there will be cheering for the stock market to keep taking its lumps. And I may just be one of them.
It starts with the hallmark of success, especially for something viral. Simplicity. You can describe it in one line: If the stock market goes up, a hot model puts clothes on. If the stock market goes down, a hot model takes clothes off.
Simple.
And of course, when they strip, they wind up in their skivvies. But there’s not just any underwear underthere; it’s Puma Bodywear. It’s nice looking stuff. And it’s featured very nicely, in a way that gets your attention.
The models are there all day and all night. You can watch them toss in their sleep if it’s nighttime. And be all playful and modelly during the day as they wash cars and jump on trampolines.
And of course, as they say on the TV, “there’s an app for that.” With the iphone Puma Index app, not only can you have scantily clad reminders of the stock market performance, you can save money. According to Darren Rovell of CNBC, when you show the Puma Index app at a Puma Store, you get 20% off.
This may finally get me to pay more attention to the stock market. Or buy an iphone. Or both.
It starts with the hallmark of success, especially for something viral. Simplicity. You can describe it in one line: If the stock market goes up, a hot model puts clothes on. If the stock market goes down, a hot model takes clothes off.
Simple.
And of course, when they strip, they wind up in their skivvies. But there’s not just any underwear underthere; it’s Puma Bodywear. It’s nice looking stuff. And it’s featured very nicely, in a way that gets your attention.
The models are there all day and all night. You can watch them toss in their sleep if it’s nighttime. And be all playful and modelly during the day as they wash cars and jump on trampolines.
And of course, as they say on the TV, “there’s an app for that.” With the iphone Puma Index app, not only can you have scantily clad reminders of the stock market performance, you can save money. According to Darren Rovell of CNBC, when you show the Puma Index app at a Puma Store, you get 20% off.
This may finally get me to pay more attention to the stock market. Or buy an iphone. Or both.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Nike Scores Again
By Sportcentric contributor Benjamin Schuman-Stoler
Note: This post can also be found on ParenTheSteeze.
The 2009-2010 international soccer season is well underway, and so is Nike Soccer's newest round of successful ads.
It's interesting: In decades previous, Nike's ran major soccer ad campaigns only once every two years or so, matching the the new campaign with new gear coming out in time for the World Cup and the Euro Cup. This year, though, the Make The Difference campaign is releasing videos--virally as well as through print and video media--as the season progresses.
It's a good campaign.
Start here, with The Pledge:
This ad was released right before the season started, and gave me restless leg syndrome in restless anticipation of the first kickoff.
For the American readers who don't follow international soccer, each of those players' pledges are related to their own personal experience, making each statement sort of like an inside joke. When Andrei Arshavin smilingly pledges, "Five goals, one game," he's referring to his famous four goal game against Liverpool last year.
The ad straddles humor and earnestness, as with the very serious interplay between the two teams--rivals Arsenal and Manchester United. Arsenal's captain Cesc Fabregas says, "It's all about trophies," and United's captain Rio Ferdinand says, "No chance." It's pertinent because Man U's the defending Premier League champ and Arsenal haven't contended for the title in a few years. (There are also vids for each team separately.)
What makes the campaign--designed by Wieden + Kennedy London and Amsterdam offices, whose other work with Nike is online, here--work is that as personal as it is, it isn't about one superstar beating a whole team on his own, scoring some brilliant goal, or doing fancy tricks. It's about individual players and their individual missions. The Make The Difference ads try to get inside the mind of the players.
In the case that they're set in a game like situation, as these two are, the camera stays close to the player, keeping it introspective and personal. But most of the settings are unique, particular, and say something about the player. They take place, respectively, in a tattoo parlor, an empty stadium, a forest, even a bathroom:
In a sort of philosophical sense, the link between the pledge and making the difference isn't so obvious, but the ad works in that subtlety. Like all great ads, this campaign is direct, but it's not obvious. To be great, you have to make the difference. But to make the difference, you have to pledge to train harder, to become better. That's a personal mission.
As one of my coaches liked to say, "What makes a player great is what s/he does when no one is watching."
That's why it works that the ads also feature some non-established superstars. Young players trying to break into the starting lineup get face time in The Pledge, and those on the cusp, like Arsenal's budding striker Nicklas Bendtner, admit as much ("Be first choice," he says).
The campaign reaches out to consumers through that crazy interwebs tool, too, as you might expect. There's a Facebook page on which you can make your own pledge (just like the stars!).
As usual, the Nike Soccer website is a lesson in website design. It's simple and clear, with great rotating photos, links to recent news about players, ads, and, of course, the gear. There are a few viral ads on the site too, including a rather artistic one that's worth seeing about Brazilian underdog Luis Fabiano.
The Make The Difference campaign isn't revolutionary or mind blowing. It's just a really well done campaign with smart ads that portray athletes as humans and uses interesting settings to get us into their individual approaches. If we want to be great like them, we have to make pledges too--and, presumably, we'll need that fresh Nike gear to get it done.
Note: This post can also be found on ParenTheSteeze.
The 2009-2010 international soccer season is well underway, and so is Nike Soccer's newest round of successful ads.
It's interesting: In decades previous, Nike's ran major soccer ad campaigns only once every two years or so, matching the the new campaign with new gear coming out in time for the World Cup and the Euro Cup. This year, though, the Make The Difference campaign is releasing videos--virally as well as through print and video media--as the season progresses.
It's a good campaign.
Start here, with The Pledge:
This ad was released right before the season started, and gave me restless leg syndrome in restless anticipation of the first kickoff.
For the American readers who don't follow international soccer, each of those players' pledges are related to their own personal experience, making each statement sort of like an inside joke. When Andrei Arshavin smilingly pledges, "Five goals, one game," he's referring to his famous four goal game against Liverpool last year.
The ad straddles humor and earnestness, as with the very serious interplay between the two teams--rivals Arsenal and Manchester United. Arsenal's captain Cesc Fabregas says, "It's all about trophies," and United's captain Rio Ferdinand says, "No chance." It's pertinent because Man U's the defending Premier League champ and Arsenal haven't contended for the title in a few years. (There are also vids for each team separately.)
What makes the campaign--designed by Wieden + Kennedy London and Amsterdam offices, whose other work with Nike is online, here--work is that as personal as it is, it isn't about one superstar beating a whole team on his own, scoring some brilliant goal, or doing fancy tricks. It's about individual players and their individual missions. The Make The Difference ads try to get inside the mind of the players.
In the case that they're set in a game like situation, as these two are, the camera stays close to the player, keeping it introspective and personal. But most of the settings are unique, particular, and say something about the player. They take place, respectively, in a tattoo parlor, an empty stadium, a forest, even a bathroom:
In a sort of philosophical sense, the link between the pledge and making the difference isn't so obvious, but the ad works in that subtlety. Like all great ads, this campaign is direct, but it's not obvious. To be great, you have to make the difference. But to make the difference, you have to pledge to train harder, to become better. That's a personal mission.
As one of my coaches liked to say, "What makes a player great is what s/he does when no one is watching."
That's why it works that the ads also feature some non-established superstars. Young players trying to break into the starting lineup get face time in The Pledge, and those on the cusp, like Arsenal's budding striker Nicklas Bendtner, admit as much ("Be first choice," he says).
The campaign reaches out to consumers through that crazy interwebs tool, too, as you might expect. There's a Facebook page on which you can make your own pledge (just like the stars!).
As usual, the Nike Soccer website is a lesson in website design. It's simple and clear, with great rotating photos, links to recent news about players, ads, and, of course, the gear. There are a few viral ads on the site too, including a rather artistic one that's worth seeing about Brazilian underdog Luis Fabiano.
The Make The Difference campaign isn't revolutionary or mind blowing. It's just a really well done campaign with smart ads that portray athletes as humans and uses interesting settings to get us into their individual approaches. If we want to be great like them, we have to make pledges too--and, presumably, we'll need that fresh Nike gear to get it done.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
It’s the game with the rackets, nets, and balls
That would be tennis. Originally known as lawn tennis back before the turn of the century. The game has changed little since then, other than a tie-breaker here and some electronic review technology there. The rules, the courts, the scorekeeping, all pretty much the same.
The thing that’s changed the most—and you’re welcome for pointing out the obvious—is the clothes on the players’ backs. For decades, it was a sport of the upper crust, and the blue bloods showed up at the Club wearing nothing but white. Male and female, boys and girls, it was improper to wear anything but.
They still roll that way at Wimbledon. It’s a nice custom, actually, but it may help explain why you couldn’t name more than five current famous tennis players. Go ahead.
Sharapova, Federer, Nadal, Williams S, Williams V. Who else you got? Ever hear of Dinara Safina? #1 ranked woman in the world.
This is not a good sign. Maybe the folks who wear white should listen to Sharapova, who has wondered out loud why Wimbledon can't “add a spark of fun” by letting players wear something other than white. If not the voice of tennis, she’s definitely the face. And I’ll bet she wouldn’t disagree if I told her this:
Tennis is the most unexciting exciting sport in the world. The action can be amazing. The buzz is almost nonexistent.
Don’t blame the sisters Williams. Whether it’s been a conscious effort or not, they’ve gone above and beyond to give their sport a modern image. They’re a strong African American presence in a mostly white (not just the clothes) sport, they’re outspoken, even controversial...and then there’s the clothes.
You’ve seen them; beautiful, bombastic, colorful, stylish. But always different and interesting, and always bringing with them talk value. And it’s led to a fashion explosion in tennis as other player catch on, making Nike and Adidas work harder, with the Fila’s and Lacoste’s trying to catch up. It’s a marketing bonanza waiting to happen.
Hope tennis can cash in.
PS:
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO ME.
TODAY MARKS ONE YEAR OF SPORTSCENTRIC!
The thing that’s changed the most—and you’re welcome for pointing out the obvious—is the clothes on the players’ backs. For decades, it was a sport of the upper crust, and the blue bloods showed up at the Club wearing nothing but white. Male and female, boys and girls, it was improper to wear anything but.
They still roll that way at Wimbledon. It’s a nice custom, actually, but it may help explain why you couldn’t name more than five current famous tennis players. Go ahead.
Sharapova, Federer, Nadal, Williams S, Williams V. Who else you got? Ever hear of Dinara Safina? #1 ranked woman in the world.
This is not a good sign. Maybe the folks who wear white should listen to Sharapova, who has wondered out loud why Wimbledon can't “add a spark of fun” by letting players wear something other than white. If not the voice of tennis, she’s definitely the face. And I’ll bet she wouldn’t disagree if I told her this:
Tennis is the most unexciting exciting sport in the world. The action can be amazing. The buzz is almost nonexistent.
Don’t blame the sisters Williams. Whether it’s been a conscious effort or not, they’ve gone above and beyond to give their sport a modern image. They’re a strong African American presence in a mostly white (not just the clothes) sport, they’re outspoken, even controversial...and then there’s the clothes.
You’ve seen them; beautiful, bombastic, colorful, stylish. But always different and interesting, and always bringing with them talk value. And it’s led to a fashion explosion in tennis as other player catch on, making Nike and Adidas work harder, with the Fila’s and Lacoste’s trying to catch up. It’s a marketing bonanza waiting to happen.
Hope tennis can cash in.
PS:
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO ME.
TODAY MARKS ONE YEAR OF SPORTSCENTRIC!
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
A few words about Pure Joy
The main reason for the paucity of my recent blog entries has been the growth of my new business. As many of you probably know, it’s a lot easier to borrow a few minutes from The Man to scratch out a few thoughts on sports and marketing and still have enough time to do the work that makes The Man happy. But now I’m The Man, and it’s extremely time consuming to make The new Man happy. Hence the extremely sporadic entries of late.
However, the most recent two week gap in blog entries came as a result of the week I spent in Cooperstown, New York, and the four days I spent driving to get there (and a special thank you to the sheriff of Monroe County, NY, for the 15 minutes I spent waiting for you to write me a speeding ticket. Asshole.).
Cooperstown is a quaint two-block town, famously known for housing the Baseball Hall of Fame, along with a Main Street filled with souvenir shops, and one kickass restaurant (don’t let the lame website fool you).
I spent most of the time in Cooperstown at Dreams Park watching 12 year olds play baseball, although I still have doubts about the validity of some of the players’ birth certificates, especially some of the “12 year olds” from California and Texas. More on that later.
The eponymous Dreams Park truly was the Dream of founder Lou Presutti. He had a vision for a mini-baseball haven. It included the purchase of a massive piece of land in the middle of gorgeous rolling hills five miles from the Hall of Fame. On it, he built 22 baseball fields, complete with stands and dugouts, bunting and mini-green monsters; bathrooms, concession stands, and of course, gift shops; as well as a village for the players and umps, with row after row of bunk-bed-filled barracks, a dining hall, and an infirmary. It truly is a mini baseball-city where these players, coaches, umpires and officials live together for a week.
It’s nothing short of amazing.
The park is spotless, the staff is fearless. No adult gets in or out without a wristband, which means that players and coaches stay in and parents stay out. Which is just how we liked it.
And then there’s the baseball. 104 teams come every week, all summer long, from all over the country. That’s not a misprint: 104 teams, every week. 1,248 teams per season. They don’t build calculators big enough to count all that cash.
After opening ceremonies on Saturday, the teams play two games on Sunday, two on Monday, and two on Tuesday. Single elimination playoffs begin on Wednesday, with games at 10, 12, 3, 5:30, and 8, and the championship is played Thursday night after closing ceremonies (where the boys get their rings) and fireworks.
The seeding for the playoffs is ingenious; the bottom teams start by playing each other (104 vs 103, etc), and the top teams get several byes. That way the teams that have been losing get a chance to get a W, and the teams at the top get rewarded by getting to rest.
Our team had a terrible/wonderful few days on the ball fields and should be the poster children for what makes the Dreams Park Tournament so great.
In our first game we played the SoCal Lumber Kings and lost 15-0. We managed to get one (bloop) hit. In our second game we played the American Avengers from Houston. They were an All-Star team culled down from a tryout of 1500 kids. Most of their players were bigger than our coaches. Over their first six games, they let up three runs. They went 6-0, earned the #1 seed, and eventually won the championship. They allegedly flew in a new pitcher and catcher for the final game. But we knew none of that yet.
All we knew was that they were leading us 15-0 after the first inning and 22-0 after the second. They mercied us 28-0. We got no hits. It was scary in many ways, biggest of which may have been my son nearly getting decapitated by a line drive from their #2 hitter, who went on to hit two homers in the championship.
The icing on the cake: because it rained all day on Sunday, and they don’t do rainouts at Dreams Park, we played our games at 8:30 and 11 that night and ended at 1:30 AM.
Still, the boys had smiles on their faces, and they were joking as they trudged back to the barracks for the first 2 AM showers of their lives. None of them had ever played baseball under a full moon in the middle of the night. And we all sensed that the team we played was something special. Ultimately, it was nice to know that we had played the very best of the 104 teams that week. At the time, though, we were just tired, beat down, and humbled.
The next three games are a blur. We lost them all. The teams we played were not like the Lumber Kings and Avengers; we could have beaten any of them. But we dropped easy fly balls and threw away throws to first and got picked off. It was bad baseball. The boys were exhausted and while they kept their spirits up and laughed and smiled after every game, those two opening losses were in their subconscious, creating doubts about their abilities. And the rankings didn’t help.
All tournament long, the teams are ranked 1-104 based on win-loss record and run differential. Every hour or two, new results are posted all over the village so you can track your progress.
After our first game, we were ranked 104th out of 104. Same after our second, and third, and fourth, and fifth. #104 out of #104. Dead last.
Going into our sixth and last pre-playoff game, one of the dads on our team overheard a kid on the opposing team say they were playing the worst team in the tournament. Now, we may have been the last place team, but we certainly didn’t think we were the worst. And after that game, we were neither.
We came back from deficits of 5-2 and 6-3, and scored seven runs in the sixth and final inning to win 13-6.
WE WON A GAME.
Our collective exhale could’ve put out a forest fire. Relief, yes, but also jubilation, happiness, congratulations all around.
But it was just the beginning. Because the playoffs started the next day.
We were scheduled to play our first game at 10 AM on Field 22. As the #99 seed (the lowest ranked 1-5 team), we were the home team against the #100 seed, which was one of five winless teams. They looked as beat-down as we had the previous day, and we won easily, 13-5.
We finished around 11:50, and our next game was at noon on the same field. The boys jogged from the third base to the first base dugout and once there, switched their shirts, belts and socks from the Home Reds to the Travel Blues. The coaches moved the equipment over and made out new lineups, and the parents began an afternoon-long series of trips between the concession stand and the dugout. It started with water and Gatorade and continued with chips and granola bars. Eventually, there was nothing but Skittles, gum and Starburst, in an effort to keep the boys standing up. Because, happily, we played a lot longer than many #99 seeds ever had.
Our next game, against a team from New Jersey, was a thrilling defensive and pitching gem. One of our boys went 5.1 innings—routine work for an Avengers pitcher, but the longest any pitcher on our team had ever lasted—and we supported him with two runs. It was all he needed. He gave up a solo homer in the sixth but we closed it out to win 2-1.
While it was the best game we played in the tournament, the best was yet to come.
In a tournament with 104 teams from around the country, where we got to play against boys from the East, West, North and South, our third game, at 3:00, was against a squad from Northbrook, a town literally across the street from us and arguably, our biggest rival. We had already played them twice in our travel season and had split the two games, one by two runs, one by one.
I’m not going to go into too much detail, but suffice to say, it was one of those games that, whoever won, would be remembered as a Great One. A seesaw battle, we went up 3-0, they came back to 3-2 and tied it 3-3. We went up 4-3 in the top of the fifth inning and in the bottom they tied it, then went ahead 6-4 on a home run that sent their team and fans into insane jubilation and made us feel like our crazy ride of destiny was over. We felt like we’d been punched in the gut. Everyone in the park thought it was over and Northbrook had it won. But improbably, we scratched out two runs in the top of the sixth to send it to extra innings, scratched out one run in the eighth, and held them in the bottom to win it 7-6.
Joy.
Pure, Unadulterated, Boundless Joy.
After that win, the next game seemed anticlimactic. The boys sat glassy eyed on the bench while the coaches hastily made out a lineup for a 5:30 game we never thought we’d be playing. No matter how many Skittles and Starbursts they popped, the kids just couldn’t muster the energy. We lost to the #17 seeded Sarasota team 11-0, but in a last stand full of heart and pride that exemplified the day, we held them scoreless in the last two innings, and therefore avoided getting beat by the 12-run mercy rule.
It was 7:30 PM. The boys had been playing on the same field for 9 ½ hours. We had the same umpire crew for all four games and they fell in love with our team, and the parents fell in love with them for loving our boys. The sun was setting but we didn’t need it to warm the back of our necks; we would have felt the glow if the temperature had dropped 20 degrees. Some of the parents had checked out of hotels and their packed cars were still waiting in a much emptier parking lot for departures that were expected to have begun hours ago.
We lined up the team and coaches and umps against the fence and took pictures while the boys could still stand. Even though many of the people snapping photos had hoped to be in Ohio by then, I can guarantee you that there was nowhere else they’d rather have been at that moment.
Dreams Park, indeed.
However, the most recent two week gap in blog entries came as a result of the week I spent in Cooperstown, New York, and the four days I spent driving to get there (and a special thank you to the sheriff of Monroe County, NY, for the 15 minutes I spent waiting for you to write me a speeding ticket. Asshole.).
Cooperstown is a quaint two-block town, famously known for housing the Baseball Hall of Fame, along with a Main Street filled with souvenir shops, and one kickass restaurant (don’t let the lame website fool you).
I spent most of the time in Cooperstown at Dreams Park watching 12 year olds play baseball, although I still have doubts about the validity of some of the players’ birth certificates, especially some of the “12 year olds” from California and Texas. More on that later.
The eponymous Dreams Park truly was the Dream of founder Lou Presutti. He had a vision for a mini-baseball haven. It included the purchase of a massive piece of land in the middle of gorgeous rolling hills five miles from the Hall of Fame. On it, he built 22 baseball fields, complete with stands and dugouts, bunting and mini-green monsters; bathrooms, concession stands, and of course, gift shops; as well as a village for the players and umps, with row after row of bunk-bed-filled barracks, a dining hall, and an infirmary. It truly is a mini baseball-city where these players, coaches, umpires and officials live together for a week.
It’s nothing short of amazing.
The park is spotless, the staff is fearless. No adult gets in or out without a wristband, which means that players and coaches stay in and parents stay out. Which is just how we liked it.
And then there’s the baseball. 104 teams come every week, all summer long, from all over the country. That’s not a misprint: 104 teams, every week. 1,248 teams per season. They don’t build calculators big enough to count all that cash.
After opening ceremonies on Saturday, the teams play two games on Sunday, two on Monday, and two on Tuesday. Single elimination playoffs begin on Wednesday, with games at 10, 12, 3, 5:30, and 8, and the championship is played Thursday night after closing ceremonies (where the boys get their rings) and fireworks.
The seeding for the playoffs is ingenious; the bottom teams start by playing each other (104 vs 103, etc), and the top teams get several byes. That way the teams that have been losing get a chance to get a W, and the teams at the top get rewarded by getting to rest.
Our team had a terrible/wonderful few days on the ball fields and should be the poster children for what makes the Dreams Park Tournament so great.
In our first game we played the SoCal Lumber Kings and lost 15-0. We managed to get one (bloop) hit. In our second game we played the American Avengers from Houston. They were an All-Star team culled down from a tryout of 1500 kids. Most of their players were bigger than our coaches. Over their first six games, they let up three runs. They went 6-0, earned the #1 seed, and eventually won the championship. They allegedly flew in a new pitcher and catcher for the final game. But we knew none of that yet.
All we knew was that they were leading us 15-0 after the first inning and 22-0 after the second. They mercied us 28-0. We got no hits. It was scary in many ways, biggest of which may have been my son nearly getting decapitated by a line drive from their #2 hitter, who went on to hit two homers in the championship.
The icing on the cake: because it rained all day on Sunday, and they don’t do rainouts at Dreams Park, we played our games at 8:30 and 11 that night and ended at 1:30 AM.
Still, the boys had smiles on their faces, and they were joking as they trudged back to the barracks for the first 2 AM showers of their lives. None of them had ever played baseball under a full moon in the middle of the night. And we all sensed that the team we played was something special. Ultimately, it was nice to know that we had played the very best of the 104 teams that week. At the time, though, we were just tired, beat down, and humbled.
The next three games are a blur. We lost them all. The teams we played were not like the Lumber Kings and Avengers; we could have beaten any of them. But we dropped easy fly balls and threw away throws to first and got picked off. It was bad baseball. The boys were exhausted and while they kept their spirits up and laughed and smiled after every game, those two opening losses were in their subconscious, creating doubts about their abilities. And the rankings didn’t help.
All tournament long, the teams are ranked 1-104 based on win-loss record and run differential. Every hour or two, new results are posted all over the village so you can track your progress.
After our first game, we were ranked 104th out of 104. Same after our second, and third, and fourth, and fifth. #104 out of #104. Dead last.
Going into our sixth and last pre-playoff game, one of the dads on our team overheard a kid on the opposing team say they were playing the worst team in the tournament. Now, we may have been the last place team, but we certainly didn’t think we were the worst. And after that game, we were neither.
We came back from deficits of 5-2 and 6-3, and scored seven runs in the sixth and final inning to win 13-6.
WE WON A GAME.
Our collective exhale could’ve put out a forest fire. Relief, yes, but also jubilation, happiness, congratulations all around.
But it was just the beginning. Because the playoffs started the next day.
We were scheduled to play our first game at 10 AM on Field 22. As the #99 seed (the lowest ranked 1-5 team), we were the home team against the #100 seed, which was one of five winless teams. They looked as beat-down as we had the previous day, and we won easily, 13-5.
We finished around 11:50, and our next game was at noon on the same field. The boys jogged from the third base to the first base dugout and once there, switched their shirts, belts and socks from the Home Reds to the Travel Blues. The coaches moved the equipment over and made out new lineups, and the parents began an afternoon-long series of trips between the concession stand and the dugout. It started with water and Gatorade and continued with chips and granola bars. Eventually, there was nothing but Skittles, gum and Starburst, in an effort to keep the boys standing up. Because, happily, we played a lot longer than many #99 seeds ever had.
Our next game, against a team from New Jersey, was a thrilling defensive and pitching gem. One of our boys went 5.1 innings—routine work for an Avengers pitcher, but the longest any pitcher on our team had ever lasted—and we supported him with two runs. It was all he needed. He gave up a solo homer in the sixth but we closed it out to win 2-1.
While it was the best game we played in the tournament, the best was yet to come.
In a tournament with 104 teams from around the country, where we got to play against boys from the East, West, North and South, our third game, at 3:00, was against a squad from Northbrook, a town literally across the street from us and arguably, our biggest rival. We had already played them twice in our travel season and had split the two games, one by two runs, one by one.
I’m not going to go into too much detail, but suffice to say, it was one of those games that, whoever won, would be remembered as a Great One. A seesaw battle, we went up 3-0, they came back to 3-2 and tied it 3-3. We went up 4-3 in the top of the fifth inning and in the bottom they tied it, then went ahead 6-4 on a home run that sent their team and fans into insane jubilation and made us feel like our crazy ride of destiny was over. We felt like we’d been punched in the gut. Everyone in the park thought it was over and Northbrook had it won. But improbably, we scratched out two runs in the top of the sixth to send it to extra innings, scratched out one run in the eighth, and held them in the bottom to win it 7-6.
Joy.
Pure, Unadulterated, Boundless Joy.
After that win, the next game seemed anticlimactic. The boys sat glassy eyed on the bench while the coaches hastily made out a lineup for a 5:30 game we never thought we’d be playing. No matter how many Skittles and Starbursts they popped, the kids just couldn’t muster the energy. We lost to the #17 seeded Sarasota team 11-0, but in a last stand full of heart and pride that exemplified the day, we held them scoreless in the last two innings, and therefore avoided getting beat by the 12-run mercy rule.
It was 7:30 PM. The boys had been playing on the same field for 9 ½ hours. We had the same umpire crew for all four games and they fell in love with our team, and the parents fell in love with them for loving our boys. The sun was setting but we didn’t need it to warm the back of our necks; we would have felt the glow if the temperature had dropped 20 degrees. Some of the parents had checked out of hotels and their packed cars were still waiting in a much emptier parking lot for departures that were expected to have begun hours ago.
We lined up the team and coaches and umps against the fence and took pictures while the boys could still stand. Even though many of the people snapping photos had hoped to be in Ohio by then, I can guarantee you that there was nowhere else they’d rather have been at that moment.
Dreams Park, indeed.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Not the best an ad can get
As a marketer, there’s a lot to like about this commercial for Gillette.
An enduring tagline that’s been used for years and works on many levels. “The Best A Man Can get” can refer to the product and the way a person feels when he uses the product, and it also works across several different products at once. And they’ve been using it forever, from back in the days when the gusty jingle singer belted it out in song. (some intrigue there; more on that later).
Their cast is diverse in many ways, from skin color to home country.
The music is ambitious.
And they seem to have a solid strategy: no matter who you are, from superstar to everyman, you have doubts inside you, and you have confidence inside you; these products will make you look and feel good so the confident side can win.
A lot going for this ad. I just wish I could like it.
Gillette has spent years using sports stars in their ads, and to their credit, they’ve used the best of the best, across the globe: Federer, Woods, Jeter, Henry…all champions in their respective sports.
People want to watch them and be like them.
I just wish Gillette would do something more interesting with them.
Ricky Rubio is an interesting new addition to the lineup, but these spots continue to follow a fairly uninspired formula.
They play a little sports, they mug with each other, they hit the sink and shave a little, and they come out looking really well groomed. They get the girls, too. They’re superstars and on the field and in the bathroom. And since they can win, you can win.
It must be working, because it doesn’t seem to be changing. At least the music is a little different; feels like they’re trying to update a bit and get away from the jingle-driven spots of their past.
That’s good stuff.
I couldn’t get this song out of my head for about seven years, it was so prevalent back in the ‘80’s and ‘90’s. What I didn’t know was that there was another “non-advertising” version, and there’s some controversy surrounding the question of which version is the original. What do you think?
Either way I think it’s stuck in my head for another seven years…
An enduring tagline that’s been used for years and works on many levels. “The Best A Man Can get” can refer to the product and the way a person feels when he uses the product, and it also works across several different products at once. And they’ve been using it forever, from back in the days when the gusty jingle singer belted it out in song. (some intrigue there; more on that later).
Their cast is diverse in many ways, from skin color to home country.
The music is ambitious.
And they seem to have a solid strategy: no matter who you are, from superstar to everyman, you have doubts inside you, and you have confidence inside you; these products will make you look and feel good so the confident side can win.
A lot going for this ad. I just wish I could like it.
Gillette has spent years using sports stars in their ads, and to their credit, they’ve used the best of the best, across the globe: Federer, Woods, Jeter, Henry…all champions in their respective sports.
People want to watch them and be like them.
I just wish Gillette would do something more interesting with them.
Ricky Rubio is an interesting new addition to the lineup, but these spots continue to follow a fairly uninspired formula.
They play a little sports, they mug with each other, they hit the sink and shave a little, and they come out looking really well groomed. They get the girls, too. They’re superstars and on the field and in the bathroom. And since they can win, you can win.
It must be working, because it doesn’t seem to be changing. At least the music is a little different; feels like they’re trying to update a bit and get away from the jingle-driven spots of their past.
That’s good stuff.
I couldn’t get this song out of my head for about seven years, it was so prevalent back in the ‘80’s and ‘90’s. What I didn’t know was that there was another “non-advertising” version, and there’s some controversy surrounding the question of which version is the original. What do you think?
Either way I think it’s stuck in my head for another seven years…
Friday, July 17, 2009
Wow! No, sham-wow.
I have never hidden my love for Shamwow’s Vince, and this latest gem makes me want to profess my love for him by doing a little break dancing.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Could this win the next Grand Prix at Cannes?
Probably not, because it’ll be such old news by next June. But oddly enough, it’s made possible by the little race going on just up the road in France, the Tour de Lance.
For most Americans, it might as well be called that. When he’s in it, we’re interested. When he’s off galavanting with the latest Hollywood Hottie du jour, he’s fun fodder for People magazine, but it doesn’t do a whole lot for Americans turning their attention to guys riding bikes in France.
I don’t know about you, but I’d rather watch Manny Ramirez than NOCENTINI Rinaldo. That’s how they roll with the surnames across the pond; last name first IN CAPS, first name last. NOCENTINI wears the yellow jersey right now by virtue of his performance in yesterday’s seventh stage, 224 kilometers through the Pyranees, covered in about 6 hours.
And you thought baseball games took too long.
Anyway.
The Americans who are probably most interested in Lance riding in the Tour are the fine folks in Beaverton, OR with the swooshes on their clothes. They’re also the people who now bring you Chalkbot.
You may have seen it already, but if not, take a look.
Saying it’s simple, smart, and a great way of promoting Nike as the thought leader in sports and causes would be stating the obvious. It also engages real people and pulls them in, gets them involved with very little effort (other than the time and brainwork needed to build the damn machine).
It may or may not win any huge awards next year in the South of France, but at least it'll help motivate more folks in our great land to watttchh mmmore bikknngng...
Oops, woah, fell asleep for a sec there while I was watching the bike race thing. Sorry. Won't happen again. Promise.
For most Americans, it might as well be called that. When he’s in it, we’re interested. When he’s off galavanting with the latest Hollywood Hottie du jour, he’s fun fodder for People magazine, but it doesn’t do a whole lot for Americans turning their attention to guys riding bikes in France.
I don’t know about you, but I’d rather watch Manny Ramirez than NOCENTINI Rinaldo. That’s how they roll with the surnames across the pond; last name first IN CAPS, first name last. NOCENTINI wears the yellow jersey right now by virtue of his performance in yesterday’s seventh stage, 224 kilometers through the Pyranees, covered in about 6 hours.
And you thought baseball games took too long.
Anyway.
The Americans who are probably most interested in Lance riding in the Tour are the fine folks in Beaverton, OR with the swooshes on their clothes. They’re also the people who now bring you Chalkbot.
You may have seen it already, but if not, take a look.
Saying it’s simple, smart, and a great way of promoting Nike as the thought leader in sports and causes would be stating the obvious. It also engages real people and pulls them in, gets them involved with very little effort (other than the time and brainwork needed to build the damn machine).
It may or may not win any huge awards next year in the South of France, but at least it'll help motivate more folks in our great land to watttchh mmmore bikknngng...
Oops, woah, fell asleep for a sec there while I was watching the bike race thing. Sorry. Won't happen again. Promise.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Time Out for a laugh
Despite all kinds of basketball and hockey free agent news, the Cubs playing a pivotal series against the Brewers (please call me if you'd like to give me tickets for Saturday's game), and lots and lots of travel baseball in my world, let's take a breather from sports to enjoy a good guffaw.
This is what makes this country great. Happy fourth of July.
This is what makes this country great. Happy fourth of July.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
In awe of Lance
Once again, Nike and Lance Armstrong have found a way to inspire us.
Powerful. Gripping. The images are singular and relentless in their ability to make you feel sympathy for these courageous people; the music grabs your heart and twists and wrenches it, as it climaxes with pounding drumbeats. The ending is surprising and compelling.
It provides a fascinating contrast to a thematically similar commercial done several years earlier, also featuring Lance and with Nike as it’s sponsor.
No music that builds to a climax, no images of anyone battling a terrible disease. Just a very vulnerable, very determined young athlete.
But so powerful. So inspiring.
The twist here, of course, is that he did exactly what he promised, despite cancer in his testicles, abdomen, lungs, and brain. He beat the disease, he rode again as a professional cyclist, and he did pretty well.
More inspiring than the new spot? Who’s to say. They’re both amazing. But I will say this:
In the new spot, the tone in his voice feels different. His attitude towards humanity feels different. He just seems tired.
In each of the spots, Lance is at the center of what inspires us. And he does inspire us.
But in the new spot, his voice seems affected by his years of being chased by paparazzi, accused of doping, and living the life of a true rock-star-dating, tabloid-filling celebrity, who has left cycling behind and transcended the world of sports to become a bigger than life figure, for better or worse.
And it comes off as just slightly less sincere. To me, it doesn’t seem as fresh as this spot, done as part of the same campaign.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I am awed by Lance Armstrong and the things he has accomplished since his cancer announcement of October, 1996: he won the Tour de France seven times, and he raised both awareness and enormous sums of money for cancer and cancer research. He ran the New York and Boston Marathons.
And perhaps most incredible, he fathered a son, Max, through natural conception, just under a month ago, even though it was assumed that it could never happen.
This guy is incredible. He is truly special.
But being the sportsguy that I am, the Lance Armstrong I like most is the less famous, pre-Sheryl, more hard-core athlete. The guy who did a This is Sportscenter commercial that’s arguably one of the best ever made.
Not in the same class as the ads above, but for people who create great sports marketing, work this good is pretty damn inspiring.
Powerful. Gripping. The images are singular and relentless in their ability to make you feel sympathy for these courageous people; the music grabs your heart and twists and wrenches it, as it climaxes with pounding drumbeats. The ending is surprising and compelling.
It provides a fascinating contrast to a thematically similar commercial done several years earlier, also featuring Lance and with Nike as it’s sponsor.
No music that builds to a climax, no images of anyone battling a terrible disease. Just a very vulnerable, very determined young athlete.
But so powerful. So inspiring.
The twist here, of course, is that he did exactly what he promised, despite cancer in his testicles, abdomen, lungs, and brain. He beat the disease, he rode again as a professional cyclist, and he did pretty well.
More inspiring than the new spot? Who’s to say. They’re both amazing. But I will say this:
In the new spot, the tone in his voice feels different. His attitude towards humanity feels different. He just seems tired.
In each of the spots, Lance is at the center of what inspires us. And he does inspire us.
But in the new spot, his voice seems affected by his years of being chased by paparazzi, accused of doping, and living the life of a true rock-star-dating, tabloid-filling celebrity, who has left cycling behind and transcended the world of sports to become a bigger than life figure, for better or worse.
And it comes off as just slightly less sincere. To me, it doesn’t seem as fresh as this spot, done as part of the same campaign.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I am awed by Lance Armstrong and the things he has accomplished since his cancer announcement of October, 1996: he won the Tour de France seven times, and he raised both awareness and enormous sums of money for cancer and cancer research. He ran the New York and Boston Marathons.
And perhaps most incredible, he fathered a son, Max, through natural conception, just under a month ago, even though it was assumed that it could never happen.
This guy is incredible. He is truly special.
But being the sportsguy that I am, the Lance Armstrong I like most is the less famous, pre-Sheryl, more hard-core athlete. The guy who did a This is Sportscenter commercial that’s arguably one of the best ever made.
Not in the same class as the ads above, but for people who create great sports marketing, work this good is pretty damn inspiring.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Thank you, sports
Sports has the power to make you smile like an idiot.
Bloopers and amazing plays, no-hitters pitched and broken up, diving catches, ridiculous dunks, moves that can’t even be described. Favorite teams winning championships after long draughts (a Cubs fan can dream, can’t he?). Little else can make us grin from ear to ear as consistently. Or as stupidly.
There’s so much crap in the world, and there’s plenty of it in the world of sports. But for the most part, sports saves us.
So I forgive this spot all of its faults and thank EA sports for making me smile.
I forgive the cliched track, and the poorly obscured faces, and some pretty shaky mattes and composites.
Because I love the magic they created. Especially the casting and the wardrobe.
I love the mother and daughter who beat the Williams sisters and I love their Sunday-at-the-public-courts outfits. Ditto with Steve Nash and his hoodie-wearing teammate who couldn’t win a game of HORSE at a nursery school. And the kid skating with unbridled purpose and joy in the Red Wings sweater and blue jeans.
Nobody in the cast would’ve made it anywhere near callbacks for a Gatorade commercial but they’re perfect for a spot that makes us all believe we can play with the big boys and girls.
It all just makes me feel good.
I admit that the music, while cliched, gets the goosebumps going. And there are inspired effects-created moments, like when Ben Roethlisberger rubs his hand on our bearded friend's head.
And the way the product is introduced is smart, especially snuck into the middle of all the feel-great celebrations.
We could all use as much joy as possible these days. I want me as much as possible. Thank you, sports. Thank you, EA.
Bloopers and amazing plays, no-hitters pitched and broken up, diving catches, ridiculous dunks, moves that can’t even be described. Favorite teams winning championships after long draughts (a Cubs fan can dream, can’t he?). Little else can make us grin from ear to ear as consistently. Or as stupidly.
There’s so much crap in the world, and there’s plenty of it in the world of sports. But for the most part, sports saves us.
So I forgive this spot all of its faults and thank EA sports for making me smile.
I forgive the cliched track, and the poorly obscured faces, and some pretty shaky mattes and composites.
Because I love the magic they created. Especially the casting and the wardrobe.
I love the mother and daughter who beat the Williams sisters and I love their Sunday-at-the-public-courts outfits. Ditto with Steve Nash and his hoodie-wearing teammate who couldn’t win a game of HORSE at a nursery school. And the kid skating with unbridled purpose and joy in the Red Wings sweater and blue jeans.
Nobody in the cast would’ve made it anywhere near callbacks for a Gatorade commercial but they’re perfect for a spot that makes us all believe we can play with the big boys and girls.
It all just makes me feel good.
I admit that the music, while cliched, gets the goosebumps going. And there are inspired effects-created moments, like when Ben Roethlisberger rubs his hand on our bearded friend's head.
And the way the product is introduced is smart, especially snuck into the middle of all the feel-great celebrations.
We could all use as much joy as possible these days. I want me as much as possible. Thank you, sports. Thank you, EA.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Just Das It
When it comes to sports brand icons and their TV commercials, more often than not, I’m impressed by Nike, perplexed by Gatorade, and fascinated by Adidas.
While Nike continues to blast down the road of consistently strategic and surprising work, and Gatorade rambles along a twisty turny highway in search of the Holy Grail of millenial connection, Adidas keeps crossing the street and trying different routes.
They tell the story of Adi Dassler, the founder of Adidas, and the true origins of the company, to stake a claim as an authentic original. And they do it via a 3 minute film. In claymation.
And they make a House Party spot with David Beckham, Missy Elliott, and other funky friends, to celebrate 60 years of Adidas originals.
Adidas does a lot of really interesting, entertaining work. I usually like it quite a bit. Case in point: Two new shoe ads featuring Derrick Rose (he of the phantom SAT test)…
…and Dwight Howard (he of the perhaps-overthrowing King James tonight)…
They look and sound different, which is good (voiced by Chali 2na from Jurassic 5). And they do a pretty clever thing: They talk about the power and efficacy of the clothes and shoes in the context of the power and efficacy of the athlete. I thought this was a smart way to surround the info they so desperately want to convey.
So in terms of breaking through the insanely crowded communications clutter, I’d say they’re successful.
But they’re not as strong as the new Nike work.
For me, the Adidas work doesn’t resonate as much as the new Nike puppets with Kobe and LeBron, for a simple reason: Even the most sports-astute marketers often forget how great it is to just watch amazing athletes do amazing things. It's why I love this spot so much.
You get humor, you get personality, and you get authenticity. While Adidas has cool technique, Nike 180’s that and goes anti-cool; you can’t get much more low tech than felt puppets.
I’m not saying the Adidas work isn’t good. It’s pretty darn cool. It just doesn’t feel as spot-on authentic as the Nike work. Am I wrong? Am I too Old School? Am I on the Nike payroll?
Maybe, probably, and definitely not. But you tell me.
While Nike continues to blast down the road of consistently strategic and surprising work, and Gatorade rambles along a twisty turny highway in search of the Holy Grail of millenial connection, Adidas keeps crossing the street and trying different routes.
They tell the story of Adi Dassler, the founder of Adidas, and the true origins of the company, to stake a claim as an authentic original. And they do it via a 3 minute film. In claymation.
And they make a House Party spot with David Beckham, Missy Elliott, and other funky friends, to celebrate 60 years of Adidas originals.
Adidas does a lot of really interesting, entertaining work. I usually like it quite a bit. Case in point: Two new shoe ads featuring Derrick Rose (he of the phantom SAT test)…
…and Dwight Howard (he of the perhaps-overthrowing King James tonight)…
They look and sound different, which is good (voiced by Chali 2na from Jurassic 5). And they do a pretty clever thing: They talk about the power and efficacy of the clothes and shoes in the context of the power and efficacy of the athlete. I thought this was a smart way to surround the info they so desperately want to convey.
So in terms of breaking through the insanely crowded communications clutter, I’d say they’re successful.
But they’re not as strong as the new Nike work.
For me, the Adidas work doesn’t resonate as much as the new Nike puppets with Kobe and LeBron, for a simple reason: Even the most sports-astute marketers often forget how great it is to just watch amazing athletes do amazing things. It's why I love this spot so much.
You get humor, you get personality, and you get authenticity. While Adidas has cool technique, Nike 180’s that and goes anti-cool; you can’t get much more low tech than felt puppets.
I’m not saying the Adidas work isn’t good. It’s pretty darn cool. It just doesn’t feel as spot-on authentic as the Nike work. Am I wrong? Am I too Old School? Am I on the Nike payroll?
Maybe, probably, and definitely not. But you tell me.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
It's a good time for the great ads of McDonald's
It’s not often that we at Sportscentric step away from sports. And never before have we left the fields of play to enter a fast food emporium. But two wonderful new films from McDonald’s have forced us into their waiting arms.
Did somebody say McDonald’s?
Sorry.
But yes, it’s McDonald’s with two new pieces of human communication that tickle your fancy and just plain made you smile and feel good. Isn’t that what McDonald’s is supposed to do?
Waitasec. On second thought, we can talk about McDonald’s and sports. They joined together in one of the most famous TV commercials in history.
First of all, MICHAEL: WHAT ARE YOU WEARING?!?!
Sorry. Lost myself for a second there in the dizzying array of colors in MJ's shortpantsuit.
It’s classic McD's advertising. Just kind of makes you smile and feel a warm fuzziness for the brand. Kind of like this new interactive billboard in London's Picadilly Square.
It’s whimsical, surprising, and engaging. I watched it a couple of times. I could've watched it more. I'm sure many people will.
And while the London billboard is the future of marketing, there’s always room for a good ole TV commercial. Especially silly ones that just make you giggle.
This work is good for people from 5 to 50. I first saw the fish spot over my son’s shoulder on his computer. It does what great McDonald’s advertising—and in this day and age, what any great advertising should do:
Connect people of any race creed shape age or gender to their product. When it comes to the work McD’s is doing, they’re hitting nothing but net.
And PS, I'll pay 100 bucks for MJ's shortpantsuit.
Did somebody say McDonald’s?
Sorry.
But yes, it’s McDonald’s with two new pieces of human communication that tickle your fancy and just plain made you smile and feel good. Isn’t that what McDonald’s is supposed to do?
Waitasec. On second thought, we can talk about McDonald’s and sports. They joined together in one of the most famous TV commercials in history.
First of all, MICHAEL: WHAT ARE YOU WEARING?!?!
Sorry. Lost myself for a second there in the dizzying array of colors in MJ's shortpantsuit.
It’s classic McD's advertising. Just kind of makes you smile and feel a warm fuzziness for the brand. Kind of like this new interactive billboard in London's Picadilly Square.
It’s whimsical, surprising, and engaging. I watched it a couple of times. I could've watched it more. I'm sure many people will.
And while the London billboard is the future of marketing, there’s always room for a good ole TV commercial. Especially silly ones that just make you giggle.
This work is good for people from 5 to 50. I first saw the fish spot over my son’s shoulder on his computer. It does what great McDonald’s advertising—and in this day and age, what any great advertising should do:
Connect people of any race creed shape age or gender to their product. When it comes to the work McD’s is doing, they’re hitting nothing but net.
And PS, I'll pay 100 bucks for MJ's shortpantsuit.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
A meandering continuum
Of Kobe, LeBron, Willie Tyler and Lester, $20 Chinese food, and the great Circle of Life in sports and marketing.
Let’s start in the present.
Apparently, Nike is assuming that the Laker and the Cavs are going to meet in the NBA finals. At least that was their best guess when they made this spot, which had to have been produced before the playoffs began (and before the Rockets took LA to tomorrow’s Game 7).
I am highly amused by this premise: LeBron and Kobe are roommates. Kobe is the Rat Pack-like elder statesman, wearing shades and sweater right out of Ocean’s 11 (the original). LeBron is the kid playing video games with the hip hop styling. Love the puppet representations, love the apartment in which they live. This all makes sense, because Kobe has won three titles over a long career and LeBron is still looking for his first.
Fun stuff.
I also love the voices. It was amazing to see how many people beefed about not getting the real voices, including Darren Rovell’s SportsBiz blog. I say it’s much funnier with the actors who do the VO—I’m sure the scripts were great but you can hear the improvisation. Plus, puppet mouths don’t match real words, so they can say just about anything they want. Rumor has it David Allan Grier and Kenan Thompson were Kobe and LeBron, but that’s not confirmed.
But I digress.
Watching this ad, I was immediately reminded of the great Lil Penny ads Nike did at the height of Anfernee (Penny) Hardaway’s fame in the mid-‘90’s.
Yes, that’s Chris Rock as Lil Penny. And yes, he is very very funny. Too bad Big Penny’s knees crapped out on him. He could’ve been one of the greats. His ads were great and part of it was due to his understated comedic performance. Not easy being straight man to a puppet.
Unless you’re Willie Tyler and you’ve got Lester on your lap.
But again, I digress.
Penny Hardaway was a terrific basketball player. All-Star games, NBA Finals alongside Shaq for the Magic, Olympic Gold Medal…if he could have avoided injury, he could’ve been a legend…much like, say, LeBron.
Too much of a stretch? Maybe. But at a time when Michael was playing baseball and just returning to basketball, Penny filled a superstar void.
In addition to his basketball skills, he was good in front of the camera, as evidenced by the Lil Penny ads. Who knows how high his star could have risen? In fact, he could’ve been making commercials like this.
One of my favorite spots of the past several years. The music, the magic, the hero and the real people, all coming together. LeBron’s signature, iconic move. It’ll go down as an all-time Nike classic. It’s already spawned dozens of Youtube parodies. And enabled Nike to parody itself.
Ah, so we’re full circle on our meandering continuum. I like this spot even better than the “Three Rings” spot above (although it did seem like it could have been a :30 or at most a :45). What the hell does “$20 Chinese food!” mean? I don’t know, but it’s funny.
So there you have it. Proof that everything that goes around comes around. And if nothing else, you found out that Willie Tyler and Lester are still ventriloquizing, online! Who knew?
Let’s start in the present.
Apparently, Nike is assuming that the Laker and the Cavs are going to meet in the NBA finals. At least that was their best guess when they made this spot, which had to have been produced before the playoffs began (and before the Rockets took LA to tomorrow’s Game 7).
I am highly amused by this premise: LeBron and Kobe are roommates. Kobe is the Rat Pack-like elder statesman, wearing shades and sweater right out of Ocean’s 11 (the original). LeBron is the kid playing video games with the hip hop styling. Love the puppet representations, love the apartment in which they live. This all makes sense, because Kobe has won three titles over a long career and LeBron is still looking for his first.
Fun stuff.
I also love the voices. It was amazing to see how many people beefed about not getting the real voices, including Darren Rovell’s SportsBiz blog. I say it’s much funnier with the actors who do the VO—I’m sure the scripts were great but you can hear the improvisation. Plus, puppet mouths don’t match real words, so they can say just about anything they want. Rumor has it David Allan Grier and Kenan Thompson were Kobe and LeBron, but that’s not confirmed.
But I digress.
Watching this ad, I was immediately reminded of the great Lil Penny ads Nike did at the height of Anfernee (Penny) Hardaway’s fame in the mid-‘90’s.
Yes, that’s Chris Rock as Lil Penny. And yes, he is very very funny. Too bad Big Penny’s knees crapped out on him. He could’ve been one of the greats. His ads were great and part of it was due to his understated comedic performance. Not easy being straight man to a puppet.
Unless you’re Willie Tyler and you’ve got Lester on your lap.
But again, I digress.
Penny Hardaway was a terrific basketball player. All-Star games, NBA Finals alongside Shaq for the Magic, Olympic Gold Medal…if he could have avoided injury, he could’ve been a legend…much like, say, LeBron.
Too much of a stretch? Maybe. But at a time when Michael was playing baseball and just returning to basketball, Penny filled a superstar void.
In addition to his basketball skills, he was good in front of the camera, as evidenced by the Lil Penny ads. Who knows how high his star could have risen? In fact, he could’ve been making commercials like this.
One of my favorite spots of the past several years. The music, the magic, the hero and the real people, all coming together. LeBron’s signature, iconic move. It’ll go down as an all-time Nike classic. It’s already spawned dozens of Youtube parodies. And enabled Nike to parody itself.
Ah, so we’re full circle on our meandering continuum. I like this spot even better than the “Three Rings” spot above (although it did seem like it could have been a :30 or at most a :45). What the hell does “$20 Chinese food!” mean? I don’t know, but it’s funny.
So there you have it. Proof that everything that goes around comes around. And if nothing else, you found out that Willie Tyler and Lester are still ventriloquizing, online! Who knew?
Friday, May 8, 2009
The best sports campaign. Possibly ever.
Anybody feel like laughing? Go here. Check the continuous playback button, and enjoy.
Thank goodness for This is Sportcenter. Arguably the best, longest running campaign on TV.
Thank you for mascots in the bathroom, gymnasts cartwheeling through cubicles, and 7’7” basketball players trying to dance to hip hop.
Thank you for getting to the heart of what a brand should do: connect to their target in a memorable, ownable way.
Thank you for getting to the essence of great advertising: finding an insight and bringing it to life in an unexpected way.
Thank you for selling us your product in a way that we can’t help but love it. The product, of course, being the anchors, who portray themselves as funny and human and silly and just gosh darn likeable. People who we’d want in our living rooms every night.
After fifteen years and hundreds of spots, the campaign is still not stale. In fact, it's fresher than ever. I felt compelled to write about the campaign when I saw this spot on TV.
And thank you for this one, from 1997. One of my favorites:
As long as there’s sports, there’s fodder. And with annoying sports news like Manny getting busted, Brett dangling his arm in front of the NFL, and LeBron sauntering to his official coronation, I’ll say it again:
Thank goodness there’s This is Sportscenter.
I find it especially useful in October when the Cubs do their thing, and I really need something to laugh at.
Thank goodness for This is Sportcenter. Arguably the best, longest running campaign on TV.
Thank you for mascots in the bathroom, gymnasts cartwheeling through cubicles, and 7’7” basketball players trying to dance to hip hop.
Thank you for getting to the heart of what a brand should do: connect to their target in a memorable, ownable way.
Thank you for getting to the essence of great advertising: finding an insight and bringing it to life in an unexpected way.
Thank you for selling us your product in a way that we can’t help but love it. The product, of course, being the anchors, who portray themselves as funny and human and silly and just gosh darn likeable. People who we’d want in our living rooms every night.
After fifteen years and hundreds of spots, the campaign is still not stale. In fact, it's fresher than ever. I felt compelled to write about the campaign when I saw this spot on TV.
And thank you for this one, from 1997. One of my favorites:
As long as there’s sports, there’s fodder. And with annoying sports news like Manny getting busted, Brett dangling his arm in front of the NFL, and LeBron sauntering to his official coronation, I’ll say it again:
Thank goodness there’s This is Sportscenter.
I find it especially useful in October when the Cubs do their thing, and I really need something to laugh at.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
One wild and crazy brand!
I have to admire this commercial, for no better reason than I get to say “nipple tassles” and “Australian Open Champion” in the same sentence.
But let’s back up.
Novak Djokovic is the #3 ranked men’s player in the world. He climbed his way up to the pinnacle playing with Wilson rackets. And for some reason, once there, he decided to switch to a Head racket.
In his first tournament with the Head frame, Novak lost in the first round to Latvian Ernests Gulbis. Now, I may not follow tennis as closely as Bud Collins does, but I’ve never heard of Mr. Gulbis, and I’m a little suspicious of someone who feels like he needs to turn his first name into a plural noun.
So now Novak is losing matches, and he’s getting questioned about his racket switch by other players. You would think he might say, “Ooops. Maybe switching rackets wasn’t such a good idea. My bad.” And he would go back to Wilson, begging to get the same guys making him rackets as when he ruled. That would've been smart, right?
But no. He goes the exact opposite way, and decides to try to get Head tennis a little more recognition by appearing in a commercial. It’s a commercial made by people who like telling a really long joke with odd twists and turns along the way that's enjoyable for a while, and then seems to climax, but then snakes and curves a bit more and eventually ends with a punchline that makes you wish you’d tweezed your eyebrows instead.
The commercial, while long, is odd and surprising and for that, I give credit to Head. They got 2008 Australian Open Champion Novak Djokovic to wear nipple tassles and twirl them around to impress a girl.
Good for you, Novak, to have some fun and make people laugh. Tennis needs that, especially men's tennis. I still think you should reconsider your switch. But if you insist on staying with Head, tell them to make you a racket that not only helps you get the girl, but win some matches, too.
But let’s back up.
Novak Djokovic is the #3 ranked men’s player in the world. He climbed his way up to the pinnacle playing with Wilson rackets. And for some reason, once there, he decided to switch to a Head racket.
In his first tournament with the Head frame, Novak lost in the first round to Latvian Ernests Gulbis. Now, I may not follow tennis as closely as Bud Collins does, but I’ve never heard of Mr. Gulbis, and I’m a little suspicious of someone who feels like he needs to turn his first name into a plural noun.
So now Novak is losing matches, and he’s getting questioned about his racket switch by other players. You would think he might say, “Ooops. Maybe switching rackets wasn’t such a good idea. My bad.” And he would go back to Wilson, begging to get the same guys making him rackets as when he ruled. That would've been smart, right?
But no. He goes the exact opposite way, and decides to try to get Head tennis a little more recognition by appearing in a commercial. It’s a commercial made by people who like telling a really long joke with odd twists and turns along the way that's enjoyable for a while, and then seems to climax, but then snakes and curves a bit more and eventually ends with a punchline that makes you wish you’d tweezed your eyebrows instead.
The commercial, while long, is odd and surprising and for that, I give credit to Head. They got 2008 Australian Open Champion Novak Djokovic to wear nipple tassles and twirl them around to impress a girl.
Good for you, Novak, to have some fun and make people laugh. Tennis needs that, especially men's tennis. I still think you should reconsider your switch. But if you insist on staying with Head, tell them to make you a racket that not only helps you get the girl, but win some matches, too.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Old School goes New School
I am not what they call an early adopter, but I like to think I embrace new stuff quicker than the average suburban dude in his 40’s. That said, I can’t help being Old School in many ways. I still hate the DH, I think the skirts (aka shorts) basketball players wear on their bottom halves belong on a Jean Paul Gaultier runway, and it annoys me that the size of some people’s drivers are bigger than Art Donovan’s head.
I like things that have been around for a while and are still really good. James Bond and Sloppy Joes and Iambic Pentameter and wine.
And great product demos, when they’re done well. Not Shamwow well. Tastefully well.
From Tide in the late 80’s to the iphone today, there’s nothing like the power of turning on the camera and showing what a great product can do. A demonstration that convinces you this product does something you really need. Or you really want.
But how do you do great product demos in the exploding world of new media? Here’s one answer.
Thank you, Puma, for focusing on one compelling reason to believe we should buy your shoes, and demonstrating that RTB in a fun, captivating way. It’s very smart. Great use of Usain Bolt (although not as good as Gatorade’s use of him in their Quest spot), and hey, I guess I never really thought a sea urchin would be that heavy. Or that Puma had such cool, light shoes.
You learn something new every day.
I like things that have been around for a while and are still really good. James Bond and Sloppy Joes and Iambic Pentameter and wine.
And great product demos, when they’re done well. Not Shamwow well. Tastefully well.
From Tide in the late 80’s to the iphone today, there’s nothing like the power of turning on the camera and showing what a great product can do. A demonstration that convinces you this product does something you really need. Or you really want.
But how do you do great product demos in the exploding world of new media? Here’s one answer.
Thank you, Puma, for focusing on one compelling reason to believe we should buy your shoes, and demonstrating that RTB in a fun, captivating way. It’s very smart. Great use of Usain Bolt (although not as good as Gatorade’s use of him in their Quest spot), and hey, I guess I never really thought a sea urchin would be that heavy. Or that Puma had such cool, light shoes.
You learn something new every day.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Why the Cavs should thank Heineken
One of the great things about YouTube is its ability to anoint certain pieces of video as immediate classics. Word spreads faster than the meanest of all pig viruses, people watch, and buzz explodes. In many cases, spoofs are created. That’s how you know you’ve really made it.
Such is the case with what may be the latest classic, the Heineken “Walk-in Fridge” commercial. If you haven’t seen it, we hope you’ve been enjoying your time in your cave. Here you go:
What a great spot. So so simple, so on strategy, such wonderfully over the top performances. A joy to watch, and your next Gold Lion. If you’re not jealous, you're pulseless.
So what happens next? Of course, regular people like to get involved:
And competitors:
And as always, a little too late and not nearly as good as the first one, the originators need to strike while the fridge is cold:
But clear and away, my favorite is this long form version for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
I love that they weren’t afraid to retell the story a bit, that they made it into more of an intriguing mini-movie, and that they got all the players involved. The fact that all the players did it, and had fun doing it, shows them as a tight knit group who are here to have fun and play ball, not necessarily in that order. No tightness there. Doesn’t bode well for the Celts, Magic, or Lakers.
I see a future video with the same format and a different ending: Cavs players in their locker room, going nuts again, this time pouring Heineken on each other and hoisting a very large trophy.
Kobe, it's not too late to grab your video camera and give it a shot...
Such is the case with what may be the latest classic, the Heineken “Walk-in Fridge” commercial. If you haven’t seen it, we hope you’ve been enjoying your time in your cave. Here you go:
What a great spot. So so simple, so on strategy, such wonderfully over the top performances. A joy to watch, and your next Gold Lion. If you’re not jealous, you're pulseless.
So what happens next? Of course, regular people like to get involved:
And competitors:
And as always, a little too late and not nearly as good as the first one, the originators need to strike while the fridge is cold:
But clear and away, my favorite is this long form version for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
I love that they weren’t afraid to retell the story a bit, that they made it into more of an intriguing mini-movie, and that they got all the players involved. The fact that all the players did it, and had fun doing it, shows them as a tight knit group who are here to have fun and play ball, not necessarily in that order. No tightness there. Doesn’t bode well for the Celts, Magic, or Lakers.
I see a future video with the same format and a different ending: Cavs players in their locker room, going nuts again, this time pouring Heineken on each other and hoisting a very large trophy.
Kobe, it's not too late to grab your video camera and give it a shot...
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