Second Generation (advertisement)
Air Jordan XXI | |
Release date(s) | February 2006[3] |
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Slogan |
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Directed by | Brian Beletic[1] |
Music by | Jonathan Elias, David Wittman[1] |
Starring | |
Production company | Smuggler[1] |
Country | United States |
"Second Generation" is a 2006
The ad was produced by Smuggler and directed by Brian Beletic for the advertising agency Wieden+Kennedy. Casting began in November 2005, filming took place in January 2006, and the ad debuted on television that February. Advertising publications gave favorable reviews to "Second Generation", although it did not win major awards.
The ad is also listed as "2nd Generation"; its tagline is "Let your game speak".
Production
The ad was conceived by the agency Wieden+Kennedy. Copywriters Derek Barnes and Paul Renner were in a shopping mall when they noticed many of the youths around them wearing Air Jordan shoes, despite Jordan having retired in 2003: "Just one look around the food court, you knew kids still waved his flag."[4] The creative directors were Kevin Proudfoot and Todd Waterbury.[1] Waterbury explained, "We thought of the fact that a version of him is alive in everyone that loves basketball. And there are moments in Jordan's career where you just say the move, or the game, and people who love the man, and love the sport, immediately can imagine that scene. Here, we were just taking advantage of those incredible moments."[5]
Wieden+Kennedy hired Brian Beletic to direct the ad. W+K art director Jesse Coulter said of choosing Beletic, "He gets it. He brings the flavor."[6] The music was composed by Jonathan Elias and David Wittman of Elias Arts.[1]
Filming took place in Los Angeles in January 2006.[5][7] The action is set in the present day, across the world; various scenes take place in Africa, China, Chicago, and New York City.[6] Each scene is a few seconds long, depicting a young basketball player recreating a famous Jordan moment in slow motion. The actors were not shown footage of the moves they were performing; rather, their performances were based on their own memories. The staff then "fine-tuned" the scenes for accuracy.[5]
Sequence
The ad opens on a young man dribbling in place. The music starts with a simple ostinato C–G–B♭–C line played by a muted synth bass. At 0:05, a young man wags his tongue while dribbling. This is a signature move of Jordan's.[1][5] At 0:09, a player drives to the basket with his tongue hanging out. He recreates a moment from the 1991 NBA Finals, game 2: Jordan scored a layup after switching hands in midair to avoid Sam Perkins of the Los Angeles Lakers.[1]
The music starts growing in complexity, adding violins and a new bass line as a piano takes over the ostinato. At 0:13, the camera shows a young man chewing gum.[5] At 0:15, a young man spreads his arms in a defensive stance. His jersey is colored red, yellow, and black to evoke Africa.[5] At 0:21, an Asian boy palms the basketball.[5] At 0:22, a young woman shoots a fall away jumper.[1]
The music adds a second violin line and a
At 0:35, the camera cuts to the aftermath of
The rhythm of the music pauses for two beats. It resumes at a calmer level as the camera shows Jordan in street clothes, watching from the sideline. Jordan is shown for just two seconds, smiling and nodding. Waterbury said of this shot, "We wanted to make sure that, through this commercial, people understood Michael's role as a mentor and a coach. His nod of approval at the end is his way of saying, 'Go.'"[5] The camera cuts back to the young player; the tagline "LET YOUR GAME SPEAK" is shown, and the scene fades to black with the "XXI" logo and then the "Jumpman" logo.[1]
Reception
The ad received positive reviews from advertising publications. It listed by Adweek as the "Ad of the Day" and as one of the "Best Spots of February 2006".[9][10] SHOOT named the ad their "Top Spot of the Week".[1] ESPN's Darren Rovell wrote that "it deserves to be considered at the top of the list" of Jordan's more than 400 commercials.[5] Creativity called the ad "impeccably executed", and Boards called it "so rich in detail that it entices in an instant".[11] Second Generation did not win any major industry awards. Another Nike/W+K/Smuggler effort in August 2006, Pretty starring Maria Sharapova, would fare much better in that category.[12]
On February 27, 2006, an anonymous Jordan fan uploaded a breakdown of the ad on YouTube, showing it side by side with the original footage.[13] In an interview, Beletic commented on this video: "It is pretty awesome to watch."[14]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Dir. Brian Beletic Captures Youngsters Capturing MJ's Classic Basketball Moves", SHOOTonline, DCA Business Media, March 3, 2006, retrieved December 24, 2013
- ^ Second Generation on Vimeo
- ^ a b Nike, Inc. (February 15, 2006), Long-Anticipated Air Jordan XXI Release Takes Jordan Into The Next Generation Of Athletic Luxury Design And Technology, retrieved November 5, 2011
- ^ Renner, Paul, second coming, retrieved November 5, 2011
- ^ Page 2, ESPN.com, retrieved November 5, 2011
- ^ a b c d RH (April 2006), "Being Like Mike; Wieden + Kennedy Replicates Jordan's Signature Moves", Creativity, vol. 14, no. 4, p. 42, Factiva ADAGEC0020060429e2410000y
- ^ a b T&T Casting (November 21, 2005), BOYS /13-21/basketball skills/ commercial /LA, aimoo.com, retrieved November 9, 2011
- ^ a b Fera, Rae Ann (May 2006), "Defy categorization: Brian Beletic finds that the more things change, the more they stay the same", Boards, Factiva BOARD00020060530e25100004, archived from the original on October 6, 2008, retrieved November 10, 2011
- ^ Adweek Staff (February 1, 2006), "Second Generation", adweek.com
- ^ Parpis, Eleftheria; Adweek Staff (March 13, 2006), "Best Spots of February 2006", adweek.com, archived from the original on December 17, 2012, retrieved November 5, 2011
- ^ Staff (May 2006). "Top of the heap: Our annual look at directors in demand". Boards. Factiva BOARD00020060530e2510000m.
- ^ Diaz, Ann-Christine. "Film Grand Prix goes to dove "Evolution"". Creativity. Retrieved December 24, 2013.
- YouTube
- ^ AD (June 2006), "The Noisemakers", Creativity, vol. 14, no. 6, p. 57, Factiva ADAGEC0020060616e2610000d
External links
- The ad: Second Generation on YouTube
- Jordan XXI Spot + Original Jordan Moves on YouTube