NBA partner Google celebrated the start of the new 2022/3 season with a tip-off film which promotes the Pixel 7 and sees a game of streetball turn in to a spectacular, star-studded celebrity pick-up game.
The commercial led the launch creative in Google’s multi-spot ‘OK, I See You’ campaign – created in harness with The Robot Company and DAPS/Anonymous Content – leveraging the start of the new NBA season.
Instead of the hoops action taking place in the high-tech Pixel Arena featured in Google’s previous NBA activation in April on the official NBA app,
this campaign is based around an inner city neighbourhood game that gets out of hand in the best was possible when a line-up of famous NBA, WNBA and celebrity faces from the worlds of sport, entertainment and the media join the action: including Giannis Antetokounmpo, Candace Parker, Joel Embiid, Kelsey Plum, LaMelo Ball, Jason Taytum, Jalen Green, Druski, Taylor Rooks, Richard Jefferson, Matt Scott, Nav Bhatia, Jimmy Goldstein, Simu Liu and Jamad Fiin.
The full film lives on the brand’s ‘Made by Google’ YouTube channel with various edits running across US TV and social platforms – including the personal feeds of some of the stars such as Druski, Fiin, Malika Andrews, Chris Brickley and Richard Jefferson.
One 30-second edit sees Antetokounmpo and Liu use Pixel’s magic-eraser function to axe unsightly glitzy consumption from their selfies, while another sees Druski pump up the bullhorn volume to showcase Pixel’s live language translation.
Additional campaign strands are set to roll out through the season with Big-G and the NBA launching inclusivity and community initiatives nationwide supporting HBCUs and other high profile All-Star Weekend and Playoffs activations will also follow.
“Based on the insight that only 1% of basketball fans ever attend an NBA game, the film shows how Pixel enhances fandom for the other 99% by bringing fans together and making it a shared experience,” said Google’s campaign PR statement.
Comment
Like so much basketball linked content, this campaign sits at the intersection of hoops and contemporary culture and is a core part of a tidal wave of new season NBA activations from fellow sponsors and basketball linked brands such as Rakuten’s latest ad featuring ambassador Steph Curry, Chris Paul race walking with State Farm brand character Jake and Kia’s campaign promoting its Telluride X-Pro by driving it down a fantasy street of family hoop dreams.
Leave a comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.