Converse, Anomaly Tout Wade 3

NEW YORK Dwyane Wade, professional basketball player, wants you to know where he grew up.A new integrated campaign from independent Anomaly for the Miami Heat guard's new Converse shoe, the Wade 3, focuses on Wade and the city he grew up in, Robbins, Ill.The campaign is comprised of three commercials, print, out of home, interactive and an initiative that opens the doors of shuttered gyms to neighborhood children.In the 60-second "From Robbins, Illinois," a solitary Wade walks through an empty tunnel and onto the deserted Miami Heat basketball court. After taking a few practice shots, Wade makes his way to the announcer's booth. Sitting behind the microphone he introduces himself, "From Robbins, Illinois, six-foot-four guard, Dwayne Waaaaaade."A letter Wade wrote about basketball, expressing his love for the sport during last season when he was unable to play due to injury, inspired the campaign."It's almost an introductory spot to who the guy is and a peek behind the door," said Mike Byrne, cd and partner at Anomaly. "Unlike a lot of other players in the game, he's not above the game."The spot began running on ESPN, MTV, BET and during NBA programming this week.Anomaly was awarded creative and communications planning on the estimated $20 million account earlier this year. Independent Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners in Sausalito, Calif., parted ways with Converse this spring after working on the account for three years. Its final round of work for Wade's last shoe, Wade 2.0, featured kids showing off their ball-handling skills, interspersed with shots of the NBA pro.Print, running in magazines such as Slam, show a post-slam-dunk Wade hanging from the basketball rim, his face hidden. Text reads: "This is the new Wade 3 basketball shoe. It won't silence the doubters. You have to do that."In addition, an insert in Slam presents items that were important to Wade, including a copy of his letter to the sport.Plans are in development to produce ring tones that allow people to create their own announcements, similar to how Wade does it in the spot. In addition, the Open Gym program will make available courts to children in cities such as Philadelphia, Miami and Chicago.The out of home shows Wade's back as he emerges from an arena tunnel with the words "From Robbins, Illinois" across it."Converse is about the pure love of the game, and Dwyane's letter truly embodies the values and traditions of the Converse basketball brand," said Chris Mike, vp, marketing, Converse, in a statement. "Dwyane's position as our marquee athlete and his passion for the game are true representations of our brand and further solidifies Converse within the performance-basketball category."In a separate development today, Converse is set to name a new chief marketing officer, according to a Brandweek.com report.

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Converse, Anomaly Tout Wade 3

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