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?

Hmm...why does this version work?

Same product, same gag, different casting, a world of difference. I’m trying to put my finger on why this version of Guitar Hero’s Risky Business parody works so much better than the one with A-Rod, Kobe, Tony Hawk and Michael Phelps. It’s so hard to figure out…

No it’s not. And it has nothing to do with skin.



She made not be a pro athlete, but Heidi Klum is most definitely athletic. And smart, too, by choosing to star in this ad. She gets to show off her moves, have some fun, and deflect some of the ice princess criticism she’s received for her role hosting Project Runway. It’s an entertaining ad for an entertainment product. And Monday Night Football is the perfect media placement. Hell, run it on every sporting event for the next month. She plays much better in this ad and for this brand than the superstar quartet in and pink tops and barely visible undies. Interestingly enough, fans seem to be agreeing. Go figure.

Maybe Kobe should’ve taken his top off too.

Superstars in Underpants

I didn’t know whether to laugh or wince when I saw this. So I did both.

OK, I admit it: It’s funny. The sliding entrances, the gyrating on the couch, the utter lack of rhythm and grace from such talented men…I had to laugh. And so will lots of other people. Millions, even. Everyone loves it on youtube. So it works, right?

For Guitar Hero, yes. For the athletes? No.

I loved Risky Business. Bash Tom Cruise all you want; the movie was a generation definer (“Sometimes, you’ve just got to say ‘What the f*ck.’”) So I appreciated the parody.

But it was made 25 years ago, which makes it a decade older than Guitar Hero’s teen target. So are these megastar athletes being used well? You could say they’re capturing the youth market and showing their silly sides. I’d argue that’s what Saturday Night Live is for.

So much goes into choosing endorsers to represent a brand, because there’s so much at stake. Money, of course, but even more important is the athlete’s brand. How the people who they need to influence perceive them. How they connect to the right target in the right manner.

I’m not sure why Guitar Hero picked these four athletes. I suppose if you have the cash to gather this collection of talent, it would be cool. Good for Guitar Hero.

But for these athletes, just doing something “cool” doesn’t cut it. Doing something that works for them is more important. I could feel Phelps’ discomfort and A-Rod’s forced enjoyment. Kobe, I give credit for going all out. He’s a crazy man out there. But he got to wear longer boxers, so he didn’t look as silly. And I’d much rather see him jump a car. That at least connects to his basketball chops.

When it comes to sports and advertising, how you put athletes and brands together is crucial to both.

That’s why I liked Tony Hawk in this spot. It fits his offbeat sport and character. It fits his brand. And I loved the helmet.

But I still ask, “Why these guys?” Four elite athletes, a young target, an old movie, and the suggestion to “Release your inner rock star.”

If I were their agents, I’d release these guys from their contract with Guitar Hero. Would you?