This Nike spot is a bon voyage to Kobe Bryant who plays his last NBA game tonight. Over a 20-year career, Bryant has been a champion and an antagonist, an idol and an antihero. He thrived in the midst of negativity, inviting fans and opponents to bring their worst and giving them exactly what they wanted in return—the Black Mamba.
This film directed by Mark Romanek of Anonymous Content for Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, Ore., shows Kobe conducting players and fans through a rendition of Otis Redding’s song, “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now),” but with slightly different lyrics. Fans and opponents croon the words “I’ve been hating you too long to stop now” directly to Kobe. It’s a send-off that could only work for Kobe Bryant.
Music/sound house was Beacon Street Studios which also handled the audio post.
Titled “The Conductor,” the spot will air tonight (4/13) on ESPN during Bryant’s final game as the Los Angeles Lakers take on the Utah Jazz.
CreditsClient Nike Agency Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, Ore. Alberto Ponte, Ryan O’ Rourke, creative directors; Josh Bogdan, Nathaniel Friedman, copywriters; Jacob Weinstein, art director; Matt Hunnicutt, Molly Tait Tanen, Mauricio Granado, producers. Production Anonymous Content Mark Romanek, director; Eric Stern, managing director; SueEllen Clair, exec producer; James Graves, line producer; Greig Fraser, DP. Editorial Exile Eric Zumbrunnen, editor; Brittany Carson, post producer; CL Weaver, post exec producer. VFX MPC LA Michael Gregory, VFX supervisor; Brian Williams, lead compositor; Lexi Stearn, exec producer; Brian Friel, VFX producer; Mark Gethin, colorist. Music Beacon Street Studios, Venice, Calif. Andrew Feltenstein, John Nau, composers; Rommel Molina, sound designer. Leslie DiLullo, producer. Song: “I’ve Been Hating You Too Long To Stop Now” Audio Post Beacon Street Studios Rommel Molina, mixer.
NHS England, M&C Saatchi UK, Director Tom Tagholm Team On PSA Highlighting The Overlooked Signs Of A Stroke
National Health Service (NHS) England has unveiled a multichannel campaign, “Act FAST,” to raise awareness of the individual signs of a stroke and get people to call 999 as soon as they suspect they may be experiencing any one symptom. The push, which is part of the ongoing “Help Us, Help You” campaign, was developed in partnership with M&C Saatchi UK.
The campaign depicts everyday situations where everything might seem relatively normal, but where there’s the sign of someone experiencing a stroke.
A key component of the campaign is this :30--directed by Tom Tagholm of Various Films--which sets up the idea that initially, a stroke might not seem like much, highlighting key symptoms: from struggling to use a paint roller, to not being able to smile when watching TV, to slurring your speech when reading a story to your grandchild. The PSA emphasizes that time is critical, ending with the line: “Face or arm or speech, at the first sign, it’s time to call 999.”
Jo Bacon, Group CEO, M&C Saatchi UK, said, “We want to ensure people take action on the first symptom, rather than waiting for more conclusive signs. To help them understand that even when everything seems normal, something serious might be happening.”
Matt Lee, executive creative director, M&C Saatchi UK, commented: “This is important work. We wanted to explore that precise moment when your world shifts, quietly yet powerfully, off its axis during a stroke. We highlight how a tiny external moment can actually be seismic—an extraordinary gear change, framed in a really ordinary way.”
Director Tagholm shared, “My Dad suffered a stroke a few years ago and was saved from the worst by acting quickly, and by the work of the NHS. So there’s... Read More