Bring Your Game

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NggcX99Edi8

On ESPN and other sports stations, this commercial has recently popped up many times.

The whole plot of the ad centers around four kids trying to figure out who their favorite basketball player is (including NBA and WNBA). These players are: Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Kyire Irving, Paul George, Anthony Davis, and Elena Delle Donne.

The target audience in this particular ad is kids. A playful tone is established throughout the whole commercial. The Need For Escape is primarily used because these kids are willing to do whatever it takes to figure out who their favorite player is: this means getting on a plane and actually visiting each player. They try to judge who their favorite player is by how much fun they have and the overall experience being with them (their character) as opposed to their actual talents in basketball.

I thought it was interesting how these superstars were depicted somewhat as normal people. Take Durant or Lebron for example who open their doors to their house for the kids which is somewhat unusual because most of them would have a butler or maid. Durant is the first player visted.  KD dunks on the kids and the consensus among the kids is he is to be feared. Next to be visited is Paul George on a yacht.  He is cool and quiet.  Next up is Kobe.  He is depicted as somewhat of a Zen master.  From there the kids catch a flight to see Elena Donne. She treats the kids to home made sundaes and then a girl's night out even though one of the lead kids is a boy.  Nike is not afraid to show strong empowered women.  On to see Kyrie Irving who makes the kids pancakes as he dribbles.  Finally the kids get to Lebron's home who welcomes them in.

In the commercial, these basketball players were made fun of in their own way. This makes the commercial very humorous. For example, since Kyrie Irving is arguably the best ball-handler in the NBA, they have him dribbling the basketball 24/7. Kobe Bryant meditates in real life and in this ad they exaggerate his meditation techniques.

In the end, the kids cannot decide who is the best player, just like most of us cannot. It is a wonderful, playfully creative ad.