Like ballet, but more beautiful
Nike expands the advertising zone for basketball musically in its new TV commercial
Nike musically expands the advertising zone for basketball in its new TV commercialBy Thérèse BalduzziOnce again, the sporting goods manufacturer Nike surprises America with a highly creative and innovative commercial. A rhythmic purgatory in which stars of the National Basketball Association, breakdancers and streetball players perform a musical dance.
The 60-second Nike spot "Freestyle" by Wieden & Kennedy from Portland (Oregon) builds on the elegance of the basketball game, the rhythmic sound of the balls and the squeaking of sneakers on the gym floor.
Picture by picture, the elegant ball tricks of basketball stars Vince Carter, Rasheed Wallace, Jason Williams, Darius Miles and Lamar Odom are combined with rhythmic ball percussion and breakdancing interludes by streetball players from New York and Los Angeles.
The spot is reminiscent of a
Successful musical
The basketball stars and break dancers appear one after the other, alone or in pairs, in front of a black background on a stage. Instead of music, there is a soundtrack based solely on the sounds of the balls and shoes. The quality of the performances is further emphasized by the absence of any other visual or acoustic distractions.
The commercial is reminiscent of the successful Broadway musical "Bring in da Noise, bring in da Funk", in which tap dance is traced back to its origins in the dance and percussion art of African-American slaves. In addition to the basketball stars, it also stars Savion Glover, who won a Tony Award for his dance performances and choreography in the aforementioned musical.
He is also the one who choreographed the streetball players and breakdancers. The soundtrack was recorded by Steve Brown and Afrika Bombaataa. The sounds were then replaced with the sounds of the game. Finally, director Paul Hunter, who is known for directing music videos for Jennifer Lopez, Lenny Kravitz, Detones and Will Smith, edited the image and soundtrack.
"Basketball is wonderfully fluid and stylish," explains Dan Jones, the Business Director responsible for basketball at Nike. "The inspiration for 'Feestyle' came from the fact that basketball lovers, whether players or fans, tune into the rhythm and music of the sport."
The 60-second Nike spot "Freestyle" by Wieden & Kennedy from Portland (Oregon) builds on the elegance of the basketball game, the rhythmic sound of the balls and the squeaking of sneakers on the gym floor.
Picture by picture, the elegant ball tricks of basketball stars Vince Carter, Rasheed Wallace, Jason Williams, Darius Miles and Lamar Odom are combined with rhythmic ball percussion and breakdancing interludes by streetball players from New York and Los Angeles.
The spot is reminiscent of a
Successful musical
The basketball stars and break dancers appear one after the other, alone or in pairs, in front of a black background on a stage. Instead of music, there is a soundtrack based solely on the sounds of the balls and shoes. The quality of the performances is further emphasized by the absence of any other visual or acoustic distractions.
The commercial is reminiscent of the successful Broadway musical "Bring in da Noise, bring in da Funk", in which tap dance is traced back to its origins in the dance and percussion art of African-American slaves. In addition to the basketball stars, it also stars Savion Glover, who won a Tony Award for his dance performances and choreography in the aforementioned musical.
He is also the one who choreographed the streetball players and breakdancers. The soundtrack was recorded by Steve Brown and Afrika Bombaataa. The sounds were then replaced with the sounds of the game. Finally, director Paul Hunter, who is known for directing music videos for Jennifer Lopez, Lenny Kravitz, Detones and Will Smith, edited the image and soundtrack.
"Basketball is wonderfully fluid and stylish," explains Dan Jones, the Business Director responsible for basketball at Nike. "The inspiration for 'Feestyle' came from the fact that basketball lovers, whether players or fans, tune into the rhythm and music of the sport."
