Powerade on Thursday launched a 60-second spot titled "Rose From Concrete" in which Bulls G Derrick Rose is shown riding a bike with a voiceover by late rapper Tupac Shakur. The ad, which was filmed in Chicago last December, features inspirational words taken from Shakur's song, “Mama’s Just a Little Girl.” Powerade also is launching a website -- JustAKidFrom.com -- where people can design and purchase customized "Just A Kid" apparel touting the name of their hometown (Powerade). ADWEEK's Roo Ciambriello noted the bike ride from Chicago's South Side to the United Center "reflects Rose's journey from the streets of Englewood, through adversity, to the NBA." The scenes then "change to the present day." The spot flashes text that says, "We're all just a kid from somewhere," before ending with Rose "wearing a 'Just a kid from Chicago' sweatshirt" (ADWEEK.com, 2/27). In Chicago, David Just wrote the timing of the commercial "makes it particularly poignant, given that Rose just suffered his third significant knee injury" (SUNTIMES.com, 2/27).
