NBA: Where Amazing Commercials Happen

Company: NBA
Aired: April-May 2010
Channel: ESPN, TNT & ABC
Appeal: Positive, Endorsement


It’s that time of year again… the NBA playoffs are underway. To me, the only time better than this is Christmas; so when I first saw these ads a couple weeks ago I got really excited! The NBA advertising team annually create a new line of commercials to promote the seemingly never ending saga that is the NBA Playoffs. 2010’s theme is to use sound bytes from players and coaches post game interviews to create a rap. A fairly original idea I have never come across in advertising which may be difficult for you to grasp until you watch one. I’ve seen about a five to six different ones on TV but many more are available online. These are my favorite ones. Enjoy!

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Any true basketball fan has to love this commercial. With popular players like Kobe Bryant and Lebron James, your attention is immediately drawn in. It not only appeals to die hard NBA fans but also has the hip hop sound that can captivate many young viewers.

Situational Training

Company: Vitamin Water
Aired: April 8, 2010
Channel: N/A
Appeal: Humor, Endorsement


Vinny, J-Wow, Pauly D, Ronnie, Sammi, Snookie, and of course Mike “The Situation.” I thought long and hard about these seven, eh hem… people (Angelina doesn't count, she was off the show by the time it got popular). All I could think was, who is more deserving of all this money and fame than these class acts? The answer is surprisingly no one. They deserve every dime and moment in the sun they are getting. You know why? Because they are making complete fools of themselves. I’d be embarrassed if I were any of them let alone these people on Staten Island who go around bragging about how they know one of the cast members. Is that really something to be proud of?

MTV has a unique skill most other TV networks have yet to acquire. They are capable of finding the absolute scum of the Earth for all of their reality TV shows. Now don’t get me wrong, I tuned in each Thursday night like every one of you to gaze at these people’s crazy antics and pure stupidity. I ate it up. Watching them actually made me feel better about myself. From the fist pumping to the “grenade,” to Ronnie and Sammi falling in love (give me a break) and Snookie getting punched by a guy at the bar; I loved every episode. Here are a couple of my favorite quotes from my favorite cast members: Snookie and the Situation.

“My ideal man would be Italian, dark, muscles, juicehead, Guido. If I found that guy, I’d snatch him like that.” - Snookie

“Everybody loves me, babies, dogs, ya know, hot girls, cougars. I just have unbelievable mass appeal.” Mike the situation

MTV announced on January 29th, 2010 that a second season of the series will air this upcoming summer. The show will consist of the same cast members but will be shot in the South Beach neighborhood of Miami, Florida. During this downtime, some of them are busier than others.

A new commercial that has created a lot of buzz is one starring none other than Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino and New York Mets star third basemen David Wright. It’s only fitting a Met would team up with one of these clowns. Enjoy!



The ad begins with Wright explaining his new workout routine during an interview. The whole commercial is a parody to my favorite movie Rocky, technically Rocky III. We discover that the Situation acts as Wright’s Apollo Creed as the Rocky theme song plays in the background. They train and push one another to the limit. David Wright takes practice swings into the Situation’s abs while he talks on his cell phone and later Mike slides on a Slip-N-Slide into a couple of women in bikinis. Overall the commercial was amusing and ended with a high-five in the sunset. My only concern is how lengthy it is. I have yet to see it on television, just heard about it by word of mouth and through Facebook. With this idea, it would be difficult to cut the now two minute ad down to a presentable thirty-second TV spot.

“The Bigger They Are, The Harder They Fall”

Company: Nike
Aired: April 8, 2010
Channel: ESPN
Appeal: Emotional, Negative, Endorsement



Eldrick “Tiger” Woods was once on top of the world. He had endless endorsements, adoring fans, and was possibly the most dominant athlete in a sport since Michael Jordan. So how did this highly acclaimed superstar and household name become the punch line for late night television hosts nation wide? How did one of the world’s most recognizable name and face become a nightly skit on SNL? My father used to tell me when I was younger, “The bigger they are, the harder they fall.” Nothing could be truer than in Tiger Wood’s case.

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Tiger Woods began his professional golf career in August 1996. He started off with a splash, signing endorsement deals worth $40 million from Nike and $20 million from Titleist. By April, Tiger won his first major, The Masters, setting an all time record of 18 strokes under par. He was also the youngest Masters winner ever and the first African American to do so. That year he set countless records and he skyrocketed to the top of the Official World Golf Ranking.

We all know about Tiger’s phenomenal success not just on the golf course but also in the advertising world. In 2008 he was the highest paid professional athlete having earned about $110 million from winnings and endorsements. If you named a company, I’d feel pretty safe betting my life that Woods had a contract with them. Besides the afore mentioned Nike and Titleist, he has inked deals with General Motors, American Express, General Mills, Accenture, Buick, TAG, Electronic Arts, Gatorade, Gillette and AT&T. (I’m sure there are more I could have missed)

Unfortunately, Tiger Wood’s flawless public image was about to go up in flames. On November 25th 2009, tabloid magazine The National Enquirer published a story claiming Woods had an affair with a nightclub manager. A couple dozen mistresses later and Tiger has virtually no sponsors left. Nike is the only company that has stuck with him through the heavy fire he has had to endure. Maybe they see something we don’t but Nike has always been a company to give second chances. They believe in rebuilding a person’s image to the point where they can once again be an important asset to their marketing strategy and campaign. Look at Kobe Bryant for example.


In the summer of 2003, a 19-year-old hotel employee in Eagle, Colorado accused Kobe Bryant, NBA future Hall of Famer, of rape. He had just signed a five year, $40 million contract with Nike before the incident. Like Tiger, they remained loyal to Bryant understanding that eventually the allegations would go away and his performance would overshadow the bad times. Bryant has regained his elite status as will Tiger in his upcoming years. I truly believe once Woods passes Jack Nicklaus for the most Major Championships, he will be viewed as a “hero” and all will be forgotten.

Nike’s most recent commercial was released on April 8th 2010. The ad was created by Wieden + Kennedy ad agency and contains thirty seconds of a somber Tiger Woods. The entire ad is in black and white and in the background there is an actual soundtrack from Earl Woods, Tiger’s dead father. The audio was taken from a 2004 interview of Earl for a documentary about his son. This is the first commercial to feature Eldrick since the scandal first breached public scrutiny. Enjoy!

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I’ve never been so torn on how I feel with a commercial! When I first watched it I thought it was the worst thing I had ever seen. But the more I watch it the more I understand and love the angle Nike is trying to play. The concept of Tiger’s dead father scolding him for his recent actions gives me the chills. Nike left just enough time for some of the smoke to clear before they began the extremely long process of rebuilding Tiger Woods as a brand. To put it in persepctive just how far Woods plummeted, on December 18, 2009 he appeared on the front cover of the New York Post for the 20th straight day. This passing the record previously held by the terrorist attacks of 9/11 on the World Trade Center. I'm glad this country has it's priorities in order. Anyway, the timing for the premiere was impeccable; being on the same day Tiger made his highly anticipated return to golf at the Masters Tournament.

Final Verdict: Risky play but I think they nailed it!

Here is an article from the Washington Post and their feelings about the ad.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/08/AR2010040803525.html