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.
Martin de Thurah of Epoch Films directed this animated spot titled “Sluggish” for Wealthsimple. The ad follows a determined slug crossing a sidewalk, serving as a metaphor for the everyday challenges that accumulate on the path to achieving one’s goals--financial or otherwise. The slug, who also serves as the narrator, provides cheeky commentary on his journey thus far and provides insight and wisdom to elevate the emotional stakes and strike a universally relatable tone.
“Sluggish” highlights how Wealthsimple understands both the practicalities of tackling financial challenges and the emotions of confronting them head-on. Director de Thurah captures the slug’s journey across the sidewalk with striking ground-level visuals that immerse audiences in his scaled-down world. Through a brilliantly delivered, direct-to-camera monologue, the slug’s dry humor and rich personality drive the story, transforming minor obstacles--faster creatures, cavernous sidewalk cracks, and irksome raindrops--into relatable metaphors for life’s challenges. When faced with a “boulder” in his path, humorously revealed as a pocket-sized rock, the slug reflects on his struggles before triumphantly arriving on the other side.
“Hearing the slug describe a rock as if it was some kind of impossible mountain reminds us that everything in life is in perspective,” remarked de Thurah. “Human life is an eternal struggle in which every challenge we overcome delivers us to the start of a new challenge. It sounds exhausting, and sometimes it is, but it is also filled with the tantalizing light of hope. That sense of slow progress--illusory or not--gives our lives purpose.”
“Sluggish” marks the third time Wealthsimple’s in-house creative team has... Read More
