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Willard Joins Basketball Legends
In New NBA Spots |
The NBA, in conjunction with Reebok, has launched a new ad campaign in advance of next week’s All-Star Game featuring actor/comedian Fred Willard showing viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the inner-workings of NBA Industries, a fictitious manufacturer of NBA merchandise. The campaign, via the Arnell Group, includes four spots that will run throughout the NBA season, playoffs, Finals and Draft on ABC, ESPN, TNT and NBA TV. The spots show ”NBA Inspectors” — a group of NBA legends including Bill Walton, Walt Frazier, James Worthy, Kenny Smith, Dominique Wilkins and Clyde Drexler — who are responsible for ensuring all products made by NBA Industries meet league standards. A short film about NBA Industries is available at NBA.com/inspectors and will air on NBA TV. The campaign was created during the summer of ’04 (THE DAILY). In N.Y., Jane Levere reports the campaign’s $7M media budget is $3M more than the NBA and its previous licensees “ever spent on advertising in one season.” While NBA and Reebok execs said that the campaign has “nothing to do” with recent troubles for the league, Steve Miller, who directed the ads, said, “There’s a feeling in the public that they’re a little bit frustrated with [the recent behavior of some players]. Humor, I think, defuses it.” Nuggets F Kenyon Martin and Kings F Peja Stojakovic, both Reebok endorsers, also appear in the ads. Artemisia Apostolopoulou, assistant professor of sports management at Bowling Green Univ., said using veteran and current NBAers “highlights the sense of history and tradition. These are well-liked people” (N.Y. TIMES, 2/14).
