Ad of the Day: A Young Serena Williams Sees the Future in This Excellent Gatorade Spot

A new commercial from TBWA\Chiat\Day for Gatorade features tennis star Serena Williams as a young girl, when a reporter asked her what player she'd most like to emulate as an adult. After an emotional montage of highlights from her subsequent career—she's won 21 major titles, putting her in the upper echelon of her sport, and all athletics—the camera cuts back to the answer she gave as a child. In retrospect, it's bold as well as prescient. The clip is deftly constructed and features brilliantly animated moments from Williams' on-court career. In one shot, a fan bears a sign reading "Strong is beautiful"—a subtle jab at the body-shaming that has followed her fame, a subject that found fresh fuel in a New York Times article this summer. The ad builds on Gatorade's "Win from Within" tagline. Three more clips (shown below) delve deeper into Williams' backstory. In her own words, she talks about the contributions her father made to her career, and how the competitive relationship with her sister Venus helped drive her success. Hardcore fans may also appreciate the 21 pieces of artwork Gatorade commissioned to represent each of Williams' past wins at the majors—the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. The pieces are available online with individual blurbs and were combined into a mural in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Williams is currently competing in the U.S. Open. If she wins the tournament, she will have taken all four majors this year, marking her first calendar-year Grand Slam, the first in the sport since 1988. CREDITS Client: Gatorade Chief Marketing Officer: Morgan Flatley Senior Director, Consumer Engagement: Kenny Mitchell Director of Digital Strategy: Jeff Miller Senior Marketing Manager, Digital: Abhishek Jadon Assistant Marketing Manager: Emily Morrison Senior Director, Sports Marketing: Jeff Kearney Sports Marketing Manager: Aminah Charles Director of PR Lauren Burns TBWA\Chiat\Day, Los Angeles Chief Creative Officer: Stephen Butler Executive Creative Director: Brent Anderson Worldwide Creative Director: Renato Fernandez Copywriter: Parker Adame Art Director: Matt Paterno Director Of Production: Brian O'Rourke Senior Producer: Christopher Spencer Senior Producer: Jose Escobar Producer: Garrison Askew Managing Director: Peter Ravailhe Director Branded Content: Marc Johns Brand Director: Simon Nicholls Assistant Brand Manager: Erika Buder Group Planning Director: Scott MacMaster Global Planning Director: Martin Ramos Planning Director: Abigail Weintraub Planner: Matt Bataclan Junior Planner: Joe Elliott Director Of Business Affairs: Linda Daubson Business Affairs Manager: Laura Drabkin Talent Payment Manager: Mirielle Smith Talent Payment Manager: Annie Boyle FleishmanHillard Senior Vice President: Courtney Quaye Managing Supervisor: Brian Gabriel OMD/OS Group Account Director, OMD: Susanna Earnest Digital Strategy Supervisor, OMD: Brandon Saranik Digital Marketplace Supervisor, OMD: Sadie Olen Strategist, OMD: MiRon Leveston Associate Media Director, Optimum Sports: Natalie Behrman Supervisor, Optimum Sports: Adrienne Voltaggio VML Group Account Director: Stephanie DeCelles Sr. Account Manager: Maggie Glenski Senior Social Strategist: Kyle Rogers Senior Community Manager: Charles Gooch Production Company: Mandalay Sports Media Director: Ron Yassen DP: Pablo Berron Executive Producer: John Hirsch Editorial: Venice Beach Editorial Editor: Garrett Smith Editor: Julia Bute Executive Producer: Cristy Torres Color Grade: MPC Colorist: Ricky Gausis Color Producer: Summer McCloskey Audio Mix/SFX: Lime Studios Executive Producer: Susie Boyajan Mixer: Mark Meyuhas Assistant Mixer: Matt Miller Audio Mix: Barking Owl Sound CD/Partner: Kelly Bayett Mixer: Rommel Molina Assistant Mixer: Patrick Navarre Music: Barking Owl Sound CD/Partner: Kelly Bayett Producer: KC Dossett Online/Finishing: MPC Executive Producer: Karen Anderson Producer: Abisayo Abejare VFX Artist: Mark Holden

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Ad of the Day: A Young Serena Williams Sees the Future in This Excellent Gatorade Spot

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