Following on the heels of TBWA\Chiat\Day’s Gatorade spot starring Serena Williams, which we wrote about yesterday, Beats by Dre released a spot of its own featuring the star as she vies for her fifth major title of the year.
The lengthy online spot, entitled “Rise,” opens with Williams waking up to an alarm on her Apple Watch (hello, cross promotion) and turning on her television to hear a sports commentator critiquing her performance. She suits up for a morning run, slips on her Beats earbuds and says “Play Beats One Radio” before heading out. Running to “Rise Up” by Andra Day, the remainder of the ad plays out like a music video, interspersing on-court footage of Williams with her run.
For a variety of reasons, this new effort by Beats pales in comparison to TBWA\Chiat\Day’s Gatorade spot, and the proximity of its release, which make the comparison inevitable, don’t do it any favors. The most obvious problem is the long runtime, which makes the spot seem, like a lot of Beats’ advertising, to far outstay its welcome. And while “Rise” is beautifully shot and composed by Reset Content director Andre Stringer, the overcoming adversity theme of the ad seems forced and unconvincing.
Credits:
Client: Beats By Dre
CMO/Executive Creative Director: Omar Johnson
Creative Director: Jayanta Jenkins
Brand Producer: Kathy Angstadt
Marketing Director: Kevin O’Connor
Art Director: Jayanta Jenkins
Production Company: Reset Content
Director: Andre Stringer
Line Producer: Deannie O’Neil
Editorial: Lost Planet
Editor: Max Koepke
Colorist: Mark Gethin/MPC
Sound Mix: Jeff Malin/Lime Studios