The late, great Kobe Bryant was famous for his work ethic, and his commitment to improving every element of his game inspired athletes around the world, on and off the court. This relentless drive for improvement is celebrated in a new Nike film commemorating Mamba Mentality, “Better.”
Narrated by Kendrick Lamar, “Better” celebrates the universal relevance of progress and highlights Kobe’s prolific desire for improvement. The Mamba Mentality is about getting better, every day, in everything we do. In his own words, Kobe described his Mamba Mentality by saying, “It’s to constantly try to be the best version of yourself. It’s a constant quest to try to be better today than you were yesterday.” While incremental change may feel small in the short term, those subtle shifts culminate to greater progress over time. This relentless drive for improvement is the legacy Kobe leaves.
Kobe taught us to be better: a better teacher, a better teammate, a better loser, a better winner. As Kendrick says in the film, “Just be better.” Whatever it is that you’re trying to improve — work to be better today than you were yesterday. That’s the Mamba Mentality.
This :90 anthem film was directed by Melina Matsoukas of PRETTYBIRD for Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, Ore.
Credits
Client Nike Agency Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, Ore. Alberto Ponte, Ryan O’Rourke, creative directors; Kevin Steele, copywriter; Emma Barnett, art director; Matt Hunnicutt, head of production; Jake Grand, Krystle Mortimore, executive producers; Emily Knight, producer; Jasmyn Barr, associate producer; Paula Bloodworth, group strategy director; Anthony Holton, strategist. Production PRETTYBIRD Melina Matsoukas, director; Bradford Young, DP; Ali Brown, president/exec producer; Tracy Hauser, director of production; John Winters, line producer. Editorial Spot Welders Robert Duffy, editor; JC Nunez, assistant editor; David Glean, managing partner; Carolina Padilla, exec producer. VFX a52 Kevin Stokes, Michael Vaglienty, Gretchen Capatan, John Valle, Dan Ellis, Flame artists; Andy Rafael Barrios, VFX supervisor; Drew Rissman, VFX producer; Kim Christensen, Patrick Nugent, VFX exec producers. Mix/Sound Design Joint Editorial Noah Woodburn, audio mixer; Leslie Carthy, exec producer. Music Adaptation of “Midnight Sonata” Music Supervision Walker Sara Matarazzo, sr. exec producer; Stephanie Pigott, exec producer; Danielle Soury, producer.
Tonal, the strength training system combining revolutionary digital weight technology with personalized, AI-powered coaching, has introduced its new brand platform, “Power Progress,” and advertising campaign developed in partnership with Quality Experience (QX), the creative independent agency founded by Ari Weiss.
Directed by Aube Perrie of Pulse Films (UKMVA Director of the Year 2023 & 2024, UKMVA Best New Director 2021 and Webby’s Best Music Video 2022) with visual effects from The Mill NY, this brand film contrasts how the heavy chains of the past still shape how we work out today, with Tonal representing the future of fitness.
In addition to the brand film, the campaign includes cutdowns ranging from 90 seconds to 15 seconds, with even the shortest spot clearly connecting the old and the new. French director Perrie’s body of work includes music videos for Harry Styles, Megan Thee Stallion, and RM’s “LOST!”
“Sports marketing has had a long history of breakthrough advertising,” said QX creative chairman Weiss. “We wanted to launch with an idea as disruptive as the product itself. Not an easy bar to live up to. Like any great idea the insight is dead simple but the execution is unexpected and riveting. Great sports marketing doesn’t happen without great sports marketers and the team at Tonal shared our ambition to make the marketing as disruptive as the product.”
