The NBA launched a new episode in its year-long 75th anniversary ‘NBA Lane’ campaign platform to promote the climax of the regular season and the start of the ‘Playoffs presented by Google Pixel’ through a spot called ‘NBA Lane Playoffs’.
Featuring a host of hoops stars past and present including legends Reggie Miller and Chris Webber, current players Stephen Curry, DeMar DeRozan, Luka Dončić; and Joel Embiid, plus celebrities such as director Spike Lee, actor/comic/TV presenter Anthony Anderson, comedian Tiffany Haddish, rapper/actor Ludacris, actor Ben Stiller and actor/writer/producer Issa Rae, the ad is again set in the fictional neighborhood inhabited by current and former NBA stars and it also features the now familiar basketball school bus and plenty of subtle nods and hints to NBA lore.
Some of the hidden references and subtle hints to NBA highlights, traditions and events include:
> NBA75 Blimp: A nod to the Larry O’Brien trophy being delivered to Cleveland by the Goodyear blimp in 2016 after the Cavaliers won the title.
> Clocking Iconic Moments: A shot clock displays timestamps linked to famous Playoff moments: such as 8.9 (Reggie Miller’s 8 points in 8.9 seconds), 6.6 (Michael Jordan’s Last Shot) and 0.4 (Derek Fisher’s famous buzzer-beater).
> Hakeem’s Broom: A bobblehead showing Hakeem Olajuwon holding a broom to reference the Rockets’ sweep of the Orlando Magic in the 1995 NBA Finals.
> Quadruple-Double Bucket: David Robinson holds a popcorn bucket which references his quadruple-double in 1994.
> Sacramento Cowbells: Fans near Chris Webber ring cowbells in a nod to the deafening crowd noise in Sacramento in the early 2000s.
> Gamers No: Two Fortnite avatars celebrate in the arena on a scoreboard video.
> Chalk Toss: Ben Stiller mimics LeBron James’ famous pregame chalk toss ritual.
The spot, which is set to a version of ‘Trophies’ by Drake with Young Money, debuted on TV on 30 March as a two-minute commercial and will run in heavy play during the postseason which tips off with Play-In games on 12 April.
The campaign, which was created by agency Translation and directed by Emmett and Brendan Malloy, also includes a cut-down version, plus behind-the-scenes and making-of supporting spots.
It aims to appeal to committed hoops junkies, casual basketball fans and particularly to younger digitally savvy viewers.
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This Playoffs spot follows on from previous iterations of the year-long anniversary NBA Lane campaign such as October’s ‘NBA Lane’ launch spot and the festive season ‘Family Dinner’ marketing burst.
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