Translation launched its second campaign promoting the start of a new NBA season, following “This Is Why We Play” last October in the wake of being named the NBA’s agency of record the previous December.
This time around the agency focuses on new beginnings, with a pair of spots musing about how a new season means that all of last year’s accomplishments and disappointments are erased as each team starts from scratch. In the case of “29,” the message is delivered via narration by Cleveland Cavs point guard Kyrie Irving, who remarks how “Winning was a challenge, but repeating will be too.” The 29 teams in the Cavs way again, he says, over footage of some highlights from last year and the team preparing for tip-off, have all come back “stronger, more determined, more experienced and ready.”
Despite what should be an inspiring, if generic, call to action, Irving doesn’t seem super excited about his narration. Maybe he was more focused on training for the new season.
Another spot, “Zeroes,” focuses more broadly on the idea of a new season as a fresh start. It takes a look at different highlights from last year alongside teams’ records, with narration from Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook. He concludes, “We all start from zero,” leading into the “This Is Why We Play” tagline. Westbrook brings a little more energy to the narration than Irving.
No, they’re not LeBron. But he would probably call them underdogs.
Credits:
Agency: Translation
Chief Executive Officer: Steve Stoute
Chief Creative Officer: John Norman
Chief Strategy Officer: John Greene
Group Creative Director: Matthew McFerrin
Group Creative Director: Achilles Li
Copywriter: Ben Schneider
Art Direction: Erica Stevens
Director of Broadcast Production: Miriam Franklin
Content Producer: Kristen Cooler
Group Account Director: Stanley Lumax
Account Director: Agustina Marcos
Senior Project Manager: Matt DeSimone
Post Production Company: Gentleman Scholar (“Zeros”)
Creative Directors: William Campbell & Will Johnson
Executive Producer: Christina Roldan
Head of Production: Rachel Kaminek
Art Director: Macauley Johnson
Producer: Nicole Smarsh
Editor: DJ Cosgrove, Nate Park
Designers & Animators: Chris Finn, Sarah Beth Hulver, Macauley Johnson, Skye Aldrin, Matt Andrews, Roy Kang, Sam Kim, Jordan Lyle, Pablo Robleto, Andrew Zaozirny
Flame Artist: Jameson DeSantis
Editorial Company: Exile Edit (“29”)
Editor: Matt Murphy & Travis Moore
Assistant Editor: Mari Garrahan
Post Executive Producer: Sasha Hirschfeld
Post Producer: Melanie Gagliano
Sound Design & Final Mix: Margarita Mix Hollywood (“Zeros”)
Engineer: Wouter van Herwerden
Audio Post: Heard City (“29”)
Mixer: Phil Loeb, Jodi Levine, and Erica McClanahan
Executive Producer: Gloria Pitagorsky
Producer: Sasha Awn
Music House: Future Perfect Music (“Zeros”)
Track Title: Buffalo Bill
Composer: Andy Huckvale
Executive Producer: Maxwell Gosling
Music House: Future Perfect Music (“29”)
Track Title: Call to Arms
Composer: Andy Huckvale
Executive Producer: Maxwell Gosling