Ad of the Day: Stephen Curry Vows to Avenge NBA Finals Loss in Under Armour Spot

Under Armour doesn't seem to mind when its star athletes fall just short of a championship. It makes for a better story when the next chance comes around. UA and its agency, Droga5, have crafted a few of these redemption stories already—the famous one with London 2012 underachiever Michael Phelps ahead of Rio 2016, and Super Bowl runner-up Cam Newton's recent spot ahead of the Panthers' 2016-17 season. Now, it's time for UA's biggest star, Stephen Curry, to avenge his loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals in June, a devastating finale to an otherwise dream season for Curry and the Golden State Warriors. (Curry set a record for 3-pointers and was the league's unanimous MVP, while the Warriors set their own record by finishing 73-9.) Curry, 28, tweeted out the new video, made by Droga5 and MJZ director Harmony Korine, about an hour ago. It's a dark, gritty, neon-hued spot that acknowledges, among Curry's notable 2015-16 successes, the one big failure—and aims to make it right. Or as the spot puts it: "Make that old." There's nothing too revolutionary going on here. Fans—who are actually local youth basketball players—are seen gathering to celebrate Curry's achievements, then exhort him to do even better. Curry broods, then enters a glowing-pink practice court and gets to work. (He's seen wearing an elevation training mask, which simulates the limited oxygen intake at high elevations—a nod to UA's focus on the pain of prep, rather than the glory of results.) The spot has a bit of a surreal vibe—not the supernatural overtones of the Newton spot, but rather a groovy '70s feel that's helped along nicely by the soundtrack, which is the 1971 version of Louis Armstrong's "Nobody Knows" as performed by Pastor T.L. Barrett & the Youth For Christ Choir. "I will," says the onscreen text at the end. Then we get a short coda showing the new product that's actually being advertised underneath the spot's larger redemption song—the Curry 3, available at retailers Oct. 27 and featuring UA's newest technology, called Threadborne, a fabric derived from the thread composition of a parachute. (The Dub Nation colorway, which is the one featured in the spot, will be available on UA.com and the UA Shop App on Oct. 25.) We all know the story! That's last season. Make That Old. #IWILL pic.twitter.com/1JKVe3LcKV — Stephen Curry (@StephenCurry30) October 24, 2016 "The last year has been an incredible roller coaster of emotions, and this campaign completely captures those highs and lows," Curry said in a statement. "This year, it's all about recalibrating to understand there's still so much left to do and achieve on the court and with Under Armour. This film, and the work we've done on the Curry 3, jumpstarts that mindset—knowing that the next chapter in our story will be written only by perseverance and the will to succeed." UA remains the ultimate challenger brand to market leader Nike. And casting the game's best player as a challenger brand, too, is a neat and useful trick—the valuable silver lining to that brutal loss back in June. CREDITS Client: Under Armour Campaign: Curry 3 Title: Make That Old Launch Date: October 24, 2016 Agency: Droga5 NY Creative Chairman: David Droga Chief Creative Officer: Ted Royer Group Creative Director: Tim Gordon Senior Art Director: Laurie Howell / Toby Treyer-Evans Senior Copywriter: Laurie Howell / Toby Treyer-Evans Junior Art Director (social): David Spradlin Copywriter (social): Evan Barkoff Executive Design Director: Rob Trostle Senior Designer: Toga Cox Chief Creation Officer: Sally-Ann Dale Executive Producer: David Cardinali Senior Broadcast Producer: Jennifer Chen Senior Social Producer: Chris Parke Music Supervisor: Mike Ladman Music Supervisor: Ryan Barkan Head of Interactive Production: Niklas Lindstrom Global Chief Strategy Officer: Jonny Bauer Co-Head of Strategy: Harry Roman Group Strategy Director: Will Davie Strategy Director: Sam Matthews Strategist: Newman Granger: Head of Communications Strategy: Colleen Leddy Communications Strategy Director: Hilary Heath Communications Strategist: Kathryn Ruocco Data Strategist: Kaveri Gautam Executive Group Account Director: Julian Cheevers Group Account Director: Shane Chastang Account Supervisor: Jordan Cappadocia Associate Account Manager: Andrew Mullen Senior Project Manager: Bill Wilson Project Manager: Connor Hall Head of Integrated Production Business Affairs: Dianne Richter Senior Integrated Prod. Business Affairs Manager: Librado Sanchez Senior Business Affairs Manager: Alesa Blanchard-Nelson Client: Under Armour Chief Executive Officer & Founder : Kevin Plank Chief Marketing Officer : Andrew Donkin Senior Vice President, Global Brand Management: Adrienne Lofton Senior Vice President, Global Communications : Diane Pelkey Vice President, Global Creative : Brian Boring Vice President, Global Consumer Engagement : Jim Mollica Senior Director, Integrated Brand Communications : Jack Daley Senior Director, Global Brand Management, Basketball : Julian Duncan Senior Director, Global Sports Marketing, Basketball : Kris Stone Director, Campaign Integration : Teresa Oles Manager, Campaign Integration : Bené Eaton Manager, Campaign Integration : Kristen Ensor Production Company: MJZ Director: Harmony Korine DOP: Arnaud Potier President: David Zander Executive Producer: Kate Leahy Producer: Laurie Boccaccio Editorial: Cartel Editor: Leo Scott Assistant Editor: Vanessa Yuille Managing Partner: Marc Altshuler Executive Producer: Lauren Bleiweiss Producer: Cristina Matracia Post Production: Blacksmith Executive Producer: Charlotte Arnold Producer: Megan Sweet VFX Supervisor, Lead 2D: Daniel Morris 2D Compositor: Rich Lyons 2D Compositor: Liz Lyons 2D Compositor: Iwan Zwartz Color: Company3 Colorist: Tom Poole Short Form Color Producer: Clare Movshon Music: "Nobody Knows" Written by Thomas Lee Barrett Performed by T.L. Barrett and the Youth for Christ Choir Courtesy of Light in the Attic Records & Distribution, LLC Under exclusive license from The Numero Group Sound: Sonic Union Mixer: Steve Rosen Producer: Patrick Sullivan Sound Design: Q Department Executive Producer: Zack Rice Producer: Guin Frehling

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Ad of the Day: Stephen Curry Vows to Avenge NBA Finals Loss in Under Armour Spot

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