To the sound of a train engine that’s first slow moving, then builds momentum, chugging along until it’s at full speed peak operation, we see pro basketball star Carmelo Anthony, a.k.a. Melo, in training as well as playing in an NBA game.
Images of him exercising off court and doing his thing on court are juxtaposed, the former including his running in the streets and up a steep flight of outdoor stairs, jumping rope, hoisting a medicine ball and pulling chains attached to a large concrete block and moving it steadily along the ground. On the hardwood, Melo is building to a bullet train speed crescendo as he patrols the court, eventually leaping to grab an alley-oop pass above the rim for what will undoubtedly be a monster dunk. A shot of a locomotive on a speeding track is intercut into that final play.
Inspired by the classic children’s story in which the choo-choo train utters “I think I can” repeatedly, the tagline to this spot is more definitive and appears but once: “I know I can,” followed by a glimpse of a speeding train and the logo for the Melo M4 line of Jordan Brand apparel.
Daniel Kleinman of Rattling Stick, London, directed “Engine” for Wieden + Kennedy, New York.
Johnnie Frankel produced for Rattling Stick. The DP was Stephen Blackman.
The W+K team included executive creative directors Todd Waterbury and Kevin Proudfoot, creative director/art director Keith Cartwright, copywriters Eric Steele and Scott Hayes, head of production Gary Krieg and producer Dan Blaney.
Steve Gandolfi of Cut+Run, London, edited the spot. Visual effects house was Framestore, New York.
Sound designer was Bill Chesley of Amber Music, New York. Audio mixer was Philip Loeb of Sound Lounge, New York.
Supreme Court Allows Multibillion-Dollar Class Action Lawsuit To Proceed Against Meta
The Supreme Court is allowing a multibillion-dollar class action investors' lawsuit to proceed against Facebook parent Meta, stemming from the privacy scandal involving the Cambridge Analytica political consulting firm.
The justices heard arguments in November in Meta's bid to shut down the lawsuit. On Friday, they decided that they were wrong to take up the case in the first place.
The high court dismissed the company's appeal, leaving in place an appellate ruling allowing the case to go forward.
Investors allege that Meta did not fully disclose the risks that Facebook users' personal information would be misused by Cambridge Analytica, a firm that supported Donald Trump 's first successful Republican presidential campaign in 2016.
Inadequacy of the disclosures led to two significant price drops in the price of the company's shares in 2018, after the public learned about the extent of the privacy scandal, the investors say.
Meta spokesman Andy Stone said the company was disappointed by the court's action. "The plaintiff's claims are baseless and we will continue to defend ourselves as this case is considered by the District Court," Stone said in an emailed statement.
Meta already has paid a $5.1 billion fine and reached a $725 million privacy settlement with users.
Cambridge Analytica had ties to Trump political strategist Steve Bannon. It had paid a Facebook app developer for access to the personal information of about 87 million Facebook users. That data was then used to target U.S. voters during the 2016 campaign.
The lawsuit is one of two high court cases involving class-action lawsuits against tech companies. The justices also are wrestling with whether to shut down a class action against Nvidia.... Read More