Former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden "is the focus
of" a new adidas campaign from WongDoody, which highlights
the brand's partnership with UCLA, according to Angela
Dawson of ADWEEK. The ads feature Wooden as a "mystical,
all-knowing symbol of UCLA spirit" and use the tag, "The
spirit of greatness. The spirit of UCLA." The TV spots
show the school's women's water polo team, a cheerleading
squad and a runner "battling adversity with the help" of the
"wisdom and spirit" of Wooden, who is "represented in the
ads by a small figurine." In one spot, Wooden says in a
voiceover to a track athlete, "The courageous struggle for a
noble cause should be considered success in itself." To
cheerleaders "trying to make a pyramid," he says, "You've
confused team spirit with competitive greatness." The ads
will run nationally and regionally through December during
UCLA football and basketball games, while outdoor boards
will appear in L.A., including the UCLA campus. S.F.-based
Leagas Delaney handles the media buys (ADWEEK, 9/27 issue).
