On 1 April, Major League Baseball (MLB) sponsor Chevrolet celebrated the Opening Day of the new 2021 season with an epic commercial voiced by actor James Earl Jones and called ‘Field Of Dreams’.
Indeed, the actor’s audio is taken from the famous 1989 movie of the same title: “People will come and they’ll watch the game. It will be as if they dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick, that they’ll have to brush them away from their faces. The one constant through all the years has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It’s been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game—it’s a part of our past. It reminds us of all that once was good, and it could be again.”
Alongside the voiceover, on screen scenes slide by which hold meaning beyond their eras: from Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier as the game’s first Black player in 1947, to Lou Gehrig’s ‘luckiest man on the face of the earth’ retirement speech at Yankee Stadium in 1939 and Hank Aaron breaking Base Ruth’s home run record in 1974.
The iconic images are blended by footage of everyday Americans of all ages and ethnicities playing in arks, schoolyards and sandlots.
Spliced together, the ad’s aim is to convey baseball’s power to inspire and delight.
Chevy’s 60-second spot, created by agency Commonwealth/McCann and helmed by Rakish director Jaci Judelson, celebrates MLB Opening Day.
The idea is that, Chevy, the official vehicle of Major League Baseball, understands that baseball is more than just a game.
Commonwealth/McCann creative lead Gary Pascoe explained that the creative team developed the spot to reflect the ethos that the arrival of a new season means that for every player at each of the 30 MLB clubs, there is another chance to shine and a fresh start for a league that occupies a special place in the hearts of Americans.
The campaign was created by a team at agency Commonwealth//McCann which included Chief Creative Officer (North America) Gary Pascoe, Executive Creative Director Duffy Patten, Executive Creative Director Bob Guisgand, Creative Directors Dan Marvin and Dave Muller, Director of Broadcast Production Paul Renusch, Executive Producer Kelly Balagna, Senior Producer Rob Van, Group Account Director Bill Wilt and Senior Account Executive Meghan Behen.
The production company was Rakish with Director Jaci Judelson, Executive Producers Preston Garrett and Brad Johns, Line Producer Melissa Murphy with editing handled by Rock Paper Scissors’ Haines Hall with Head of Production Dre Krichevsky and Producer Kevin Gottlieb.
Comment:
The lines from the movie certainly capture some of the storied magic of the 145-year-old game which has been woven into the fabric of the USA for so long.
But it’s focus on nostalgia and the game’s traditional role as the nation’s long-time pastime doesn’t quite dovetail with the league’s own more boisterous, brash and forward looking attempt to engage younger generations in the form of 2019’s ‘We Play Loud’ and its new 2021 season ‘Make It Major’ marketing platforms as the league seeks to regain ground lost to football, basketball and soccer.
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