Ad of the Day: ESPN

Seventeen years after his untimely death from cancer at age 52, it's nice to see TV painter Bob Ross back on television, if briefly, in this amusing new ESPN commercial from Wieden + Kennedy in New York. Not that Ross's teachings have exactly turned the woman in the spot into Picasso. As evidenced by her creations, which litter the wood-paneled walls, she is very much a work in progress—but she's determined, if nothing else, and thus is hogging the TV with her painting shows. This is where ESPN comes in. Her long-suffering husband, unable to watch his cherished SportsCenter, has discovered, from the comfort of his brown suede recliner, a wondrous invention called WatchESPN—a website that lets him watch ESPN live from his laptop. So, he doesn't need the TV after all. Wife: "ESPN. Isn't that on TV?" Husband: "Uh, yeah, but you're always taking the TV to watch your painting shows." Wife: "Well, would you rather have all of this amazing art, or be able to watch TV?" Husband (long pause): "The art." Ross, speaking pleasantly from the TV during the pause, takes the optimistic view. "Maybe there's a happy little cloud floating around," he says. The spot is its own happy little cloud—hilariously envisioned and nicely executed (what's the dog doing at the window?). In lesser hands, it would have had the woman watching a soap opera, or reality TV. It also manages to seem sweet despite being mildly insulting to the woman—a balance W+K strikes quite often in male-targeted ESPN work where it could easily get meatheady. Likewise the use of Ross, which could have seemed mean-spirited but instead feels almost affectionate. With just a few brushstrokes on the canvas, W+K, like Ross, makes it look easy. CREDITS Client: ESPN AGENCY Wieden + Kennedy, New York Creative Directors: Stuart Jennings, Brandon Henderson Copywriter: Charles Hodges Art Director: Gary Van Dzura Producer: Alison Hill Account Team: Brandon Pracht, Matthew Mauriello, Katie Jensen Executive Creative Directors: Scott Vitrone, Ian Reichenthal Agency Executive Producer: Temma Shoaf Agency Head of Production: Lora Schulson Agency Strategic Planner: Jason Gingold PRODUCTION Production Company: @Radical Media Director: Steve Miller Executive Producers: Maya Brewster, Gregg Carlesimo Line Producer: Barbara Benson Director of Photography: Eric Schmidt Production Designer: Brock Houghton EDITORIAL Editorial Company: Mackenzie Cutler Editor: Gavin Cutler Post Producer: Sasha Hirschfeld Assistant Editor: Ryan Steele Telecine/Color Correction Colorist: Tom Poole Company: CO3 Post/Visual Effects (VFX) VFX Company: Jimmy Hayhow VFX Artist: Schmigital Online/Conform Artist: Jimmy Hayhow Company: Schmigital MUSIC Song (if applicable): Ole! (APM Music) MIX Mix Company: Heard City Mixer: Philip Loeb Producer: Gloria Pitagorsky

Brand Marketing

Ad of the Day: ESPN

W+K paints a great little comic portrait of WatchESPN, with a cameo by Bob Ross

Tim Nudd

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Tim Nudd