LeBron James stars in a new ad as part of luxury luggage brand Rimowa’s “Never Still” campaign, in which he reiterates previously made comments that he "still has 'a lot more game to play,'" according to Gabriel Beltrone of ADWEEK. The spot, from Anomaly, Berlin, "opens with James in a hotel room, radio chatter from doubters ringing in his ears" before cutting to a "travel montage, and a heavy dose of pop philosophy about the trials and value of getting out into the world." By the 40-second mark, a spot that "risks in its earlier moments feeling overly broad, predictable, and blocky, suddenly strikes its purpose" when James "calls his daughter on the phone." The latter half "breezes by" with nods to James' "concerns about police brutality, and to the I Promise School he built for underprivileged youth." Overall, it is a "nice balance of showing and telling." The campaign will "run on digital and out-of-home channels including in-flight on carriers like Air France and British Airways, as well as in cinemas and airports" (ADWEEK.com, 6/19).
PERFECT PAIRING: James said that the partnership with Rimowa, which is owned by luxury goods company LVMH, "just felt natural for a pretty simple reason: he’s already been a loyal customer for years." He said, "The biggest thing for me when deciding to partner with Rimowa is that it’s super organic, because I actually carried and used the brand’s products and have traveled with their luggage for a long time. So when the opportunity to work with them came up, it was a no-brainer for me." Rimowa CEO Alexandre Arnault said, "LeBron has long been a Rimowa fan since stumbling into our Toronto store a few years ago, and we’ve since forged an organic relationship with him" (FASTCOMPANY.com, 6/18).
