Droga5 New York launched a new spot for Under Armour starring Golden State Warriors point guard, and unanimous NBA MVP, Stephen Curry and directed by Harmony Korine (Kids, Gummo, Spring Breakers).
The spot, entitled “Make That Old” features Curry promising to put last year’s NBA Championship loss to the Cleveland Cavs behind him. It opens with a Curry and a chorus of young fans/local youth basketball players going over the “old” story, that Curry’s dad taught him jumpers, that he was thought too small for the NBA, his record-breaking number of three-pointers en route to a unanimous MVP selection.
“Missed championship? That’s fresh,” Curry says near the conclusion of the spot. “Now, make that old,” say some young fans and the spot concludes by introducing the new Curry 3 sneakers after the promise of the “I Will” tagline.
This is hardly new territory for Droga5 and Under Armour, of course. As Adweek points out, it arrives not just on the heels of September’s “Prince With 1,000 Enemies,” starring Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, whose team lost Super Bowl 50 to the Denver Broncos, but also this past summer’s 2016 Rio Olympics spot featuring a Michael Phelps seeking redemption after a disappointing performance at the 2012 London Olympics.
Similarities to previous efforts aside, however, the spot’s style mostly works. It’s visually impressive and while Curry might not be much of an underdog anymore, he remains a likable figure. The “Make That Old” line is a succinct way to address athletes need to look to the future to overcome past losses while also a suggestive way to lead into the reveal for the new Curry 3 line, inferring it could refer to your old kicks if you don’t pick up the brand’s latest offering. And the approach is one that just makes sense for a brand that has outgrown its underdog status to become a major player, albeit one always looking up at established category leader Nike. Still, it would be nice to see Droga5 truly take “Make That Old” to heart and leave it behind for something new.
Credits:
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: David Spradlin
Copywriter: 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
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
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