Kaiser Permanente Debuts New Spot Called "Overcome" Featuring Steph Curry, Chris Paul
A spot for Kaiser Permanente's "Train the Mind" campaign starring Warriors G Stephen Curry debuted on Saturday. The spot, "Overcome," is part of a campaign that will activate around the NBA Playoffs and also includes Clippers G Chris Paul (THE DAILY). AD AGE's Ann-Christine Diaz wrote the spot, created by Translation, N.Y., shows Curry in an "unexpectedly vulnerable light." It is a "startling introspective turn for Curry." However, the ad is "not only a departure for the NBA star, it's a major shift for the brand as well." Kaiser Permanente Senior Dir of National Advertising Lawrence Montgomery said, "We're moving from being more inspirational around telling people to thrive, to acknowledging that thriving is hard and difficult." As part of the campaign, Kaiser "will also be running social films featuring" both Curry and Paul "discussing how they train their minds, deal with stress, overcome mental hurdles and just chill out." The new campaign also "marks an unprecedented media buy for the brand," as Kaiser will "have a national media buy, running on TNT, ESPN, Turner and NBA TV." Montgomery said, "It's a strategy we employed as part of our NBA partnership. We want to inspire health nationwide" (ADAGE.com, 4/7).
OH SNAP! In S.F., Katie Dowd noted Under Armour this weekend released its latest line of Curry shoes, dubbed the UA Curry Lux "Oxblood Leather." The shoes retail for $149.99. However, it "didn't take long for Twitter to rip" the limited-edition shoes "to pieces" (SFGATE.com, 4/9). In DC, Scott Allen wrote mocking Curry's latest Under Armour shoes is a "tradition (almost) unlike any other" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 4/9). GQ Magazine tweeted, "Under Armour is wrong for this" (TWITTER.com, 4/10). CNBC’s Sara Eisen said Curry “just can’t seem to catch a break.” CNBC’s Wilfred Frost: “I can understand the criticism now that I’ve seen it. They’re hideous.” Eisen said “users are calling it a ‘PT Cruiser for your feet’ and an ‘outdoor bowling shoe.’ This comes less than a year after the launch” of Curry’s Low sneakers “which were dubbed the ‘Air Dads.’” Eisen noted “this is a big issue for Under Armour” (“Worldwide Exchange,” CNBC, 4/10).
