PR Project Lebron James
PR Project
2014
I. Client: LeBron James
II. Tactics: “Re-Established 2014” Beats by Dre commercial and “LeBron James’ First Home Game” commercial by Sprite
a. The first of the two tactics I am covering is the “Re-Established 2014” Beats by Dre Commercial. The significance of this commercial is that it is advertising the new Wireless Beats, but it is telling a story far beyond the product. In my opinion, LeBron James is the product in this commercial and it directly corresponds to LeBron returning back home, not only to Cleveland, but also to his hometown, Akron. The commercial does this in an emotional way as LeBron returns and revisits Akron. It shows him entering his former High School, the basketball court he built, his mother, his old neighborhood, and the court in which he started playing basketball.
b. The second tactic I will cover is the “First Home Game” Sprite commercial starring LeBron as well. This commercial also corresponds with LeBron returning home, but it has its own specific message. James makes a major statement throughout the commercial by making the notion that he was driven by his hometown fans more than anyone to return to Cleveland. During the commercial, LeBron states, ““Where does my thirst come from? It comes from here, from these people, because their passion, their love, drives me. They say home is where your heart is. My heart is here, it’s always been. This is my first home game.” What James is saying is that returning home is his first home game and it is just as important as his actual first game with the Cavaliers. At the end of the commercial James arrives at Patterson Park in Akron, Ohio where he once played pick-up basketball. When he made his entrance, there were many members of the community present. According to Ananth Pandian, “Sprite worked with city officials to turn Patterson Park, which hadn’t been updated in more than 20 years, into a blank canvas for New York artist Futura to transform. Once the court was
2014
I. Client: LeBron James
II. Tactics: “Re-Established 2014” Beats by Dre commercial and “LeBron James’ First Home Game” commercial by Sprite
a. The first of the two tactics I am covering is the “Re-Established 2014” Beats by Dre Commercial. The significance of this commercial is that it is advertising the new Wireless Beats, but it is telling a story far beyond the product. In my opinion, LeBron James is the product in this commercial and it directly corresponds to LeBron returning back home, not only to Cleveland, but also to his hometown, Akron. The commercial does this in an emotional way as LeBron returns and revisits Akron. It shows him entering his former High School, the basketball court he built, his mother, his old neighborhood, and the court in which he started playing basketball.
b. The second tactic I will cover is the “First Home Game” Sprite commercial starring LeBron as well. This commercial also corresponds with LeBron returning home, but it has its own specific message. James makes a major statement throughout the commercial by making the notion that he was driven by his hometown fans more than anyone to return to Cleveland. During the commercial, LeBron states, ““Where does my thirst come from? It comes from here, from these people, because their passion, their love, drives me. They say home is where your heart is. My heart is here, it’s always been. This is my first home game.” What James is saying is that returning home is his first home game and it is just as important as his actual first game with the Cavaliers. At the end of the commercial James arrives at Patterson Park in Akron, Ohio where he once played pick-up basketball. When he made his entrance, there were many members of the community present. According to Ananth Pandian, “Sprite worked with city officials to turn Patterson Park, which hadn’t been updated in more than 20 years, into a blank canvas for New York artist Futura to transform. Once the court was
Cited: Pandian, A. (2014). VIDEO: LeBron James returns home to Akron is Sprite commercial. Fansided Sports Network. http://friendlybounce.com/2014/10/27/video-lebron-james-returns-home-akron-sprite-commercial/ Commercials: “Re-Established 2014” by Beats by Dre https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeNIm6SmpHo “LeBron James’ First Home Game” by Sprite https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FGKofNiRzo