LeBron James returns in David&Goliath’s latest for Kia, “Rain,” which is built around a metaphor for the doubters he’s encountered over the course of his career.
The “don’t listen to the doubters” message is nothing new for James and Kia. When he first began appearing in ads for the brand, skeptics questioned whether he actually drove the vehicle — something he addressed in “The Truth” back in December of 2015. This time around, James tells viewers, “Doubt isn’t a storm, doubt is a drizzle.”
Rather than a destructive force, it’s a steady flow of negativity that can cause you to “stay inside,” “second guess yourself,” “question your limits” or even give up entirely.
“But that’s only if you’re afraid of a little rain,” James says at the conclusion of the spot, driving off into a drizzly night in his Kia, leading into the tagline, “Doubt No More.”
That one of the greatest basketball players ever is presented alongside Kia as something of an underdog has always struck as something of a hard sell and the latest entry is no exception. At this point in James’ career, it’s hard to imagine that there are all that many “doubters” around to question his greatness. Still, there’s a cinematic flair to the spot, which was directed by RESET’s Johnny Green, which helps lend it some pathos.
“Rain” comes on the heels of David&Goliath’s “The Luxury Experts” effort promoting the Kia Cadenza earlier this month. That supposedly unscripted effort saw Los Angeles valets surprised to discover an unidentified luxury car is acually the Cadenza.
Credits:
Agency: David&Goliath
Chief Creative Officer: Bobby Pearce/Colin Jeffery
Executive Creative Director: Gustavo Sarkis
Associate Creative Director/Copywriter: Devin Heatley
Senior Art Directors: Geovanny Panchame, Danny O’Connor
Senior Copywriter: Kurt Warner
Associate Planning Director: Ed Gibson
Director of Broadcast Production: Paul Albanese
Executive Producer: Christopher Coleman
Senior Broadcast Producer: Brandon Kusher
Managing Director: Jeff Moohr
Group Account Director: Mike O’Malley
Management Supervisors: Jay Mattingly, Jennifer Engelman
Account Supervisor: Tara Poosti
Account Executive: Lauren Kelley
Assistant Account Executive: Jaime Gullas
Digital Account Executive: Rebecca Hanson
Senior Project Manager: Genie Lara
Senior Art Producer: Andrea Rosenfeld
Director Business Affairs: Rodney Pizarro
Business Affairs Manager: Daniella Vargas
Product Information Managers: Russ Wortman, Mark McNaul
Founder & Chairman: David Angelo
Production Company: RESET
Director: Johnny Green
Executive Producer: Jeff McDougall
Executive Producer: Jen Beitler
Head of Production: JP Colombo
Producer: Greg Schultz
Director of Photography: Joost Van Gelder
Editorial: Spinach Editorial
Editor: Steve Gandolfi (Courtesy of Cut+Run)
Assistant Editor: Luc Giddens
Executive Producer: Jonathan Carpio
Producer: Patricia Gushikuma
Visual Effects: JAMM
VFX Supervisor/Lead Compositor: Jake Montgomery
VFX Supervisor/Lead CG: Andy Boyd
Flame Artist: Patrick Munoz
Flame Artist: Ally Burnett
Flame Artist: Mark Holden
CG Artist: Zachary DiMaria
CG Artist: Kristen Eggleston
CG Artist: Nha Ca Chau
CG Artist: Brian Burke
CG Artist: Nagender Boga
CG Artist: Joel Durham
CG Artist: George Saavedra
CG Tracking: Peregrine McCafferty
CG Tracking: Amélie Guyot
Producer: Ashley Greyson
Executive Producer: Asher Edwards
Agent: Tyler Gourley Photography
Content Photographer: Tyler Gourley
Music/Sound Design: Barking Owl
Executive Producer/Creative Director: Kelly Bayett
Sound Designer: Patrick Navarre
Mixer: Morgan Johnson
Producer: Ashley Benton
Grade: MPC
Colorist: Mark Gethin
Executive Producer, Color: Meghan Lang
Color Producer: Rebecca Boorsma
Associate Color Producer: Elyse Robinson