You should check out this great new Nike spot (AdAge, reg. might be req'd to see the spot; click on "Brand Jordan" link) - set to Mozart's Requiem, it recounts the final tense seconds of a close basketball game.
(the posted version is the :60, which is a rare treat to see)
I swear some of the talent's poses were drawn from medieval and renaissance paintings. Insanely dramatic and poignant.
I don't much like basketball, I don't care about basketball shoes at all, but I do love watching this spot. I love that there is no copy. I love that it's almost completely unbranded. I love that it's in slow motion. I love the pathos. I love that there's no viral component, no sweeps, no promotion, no way to get involved with the brand except to stop and enjoy the spot. I love that it's just wonderful entertainment.
I didn't go to the website and I don't intend to.
The first time I saw it was (appropriately) in a movie theater and it was truly awesome.
Nice work, Wieden & Kennedy. Thanks for the reminder that brilliant creative un-adorned with marketing mechanics can still inspire awe.
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