Sprite's New Campaign Uses NBA's Biggest Stars Including Kobe Bryant, LeBron James

Sprite during the NBA All-Star Weekend launched its "Uncontainable Game" campaign, debuting an ad Saturday featuring Lakers G Kobe Bryant and Heat F LeBron James “preparing to jet around the world to find undiscovered basketball talent,” according to Natalie Zmuda of AD AGE. Other NBA players including Raptors C Andrea Bargnani (Italy), Hawks C Al Horford (Dominican Republic), Cavaliers F Omri Casspi (Israel) and Thunder F Serge Ibaka (Spain), “will serve alongside” the two. Bryant and James are coaches of "Team Intense" and "Team Sudden," respectively, and players “can submit videos of their ‘sudden’ or ‘intense’ moves online to be judged by a panel of experts.” The campaign “will run in 27 countries, making it the largest global campaign Sprite has ever executed.” Coca-Cola Group Dir of Global Marketing Integration Sara Schmid said that while the campaign can be customized for local markets, "Uncontainable Game" will be “treated much like the marketer's Olympics and World Cup activations.” The campaign includes "print, out of home and in-store executions, as well as a robust digital and social media effort” (ADAGE.com, 2/24). In L.A., Mark Medina noted Nike “hoped its puppet commercials featuring both players two years ago would foretell an NBA Finals matchup between the Lakers and Cavaliers.” Instead, the Cavs lost to the Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals and Bryant “collected his first ring without Shaq” (LATIMES.com, 2/27).