Last month, Translation promoted the new NBA season with a pair of spots starring Cleveland Cavs point guard Kyrie Irving and Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook. Now the agency is back, turning to another point guard, the Portland Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard for a follow up and the latest in the “This Is Why We Play”” platform Translation launched for the league last October.
Lillard explains in the new 30-second spot that basketball has always been an escape for him. “I could be going through anything,” he says over a footage of a young fan shooting hoops (and perhaps pretending he’s Damian Lillard), “but for that two hours I was able to be happy because I had that much lover for the game.”
It’s a simple approach, but one that exemplifies the “This Is Why We Play” platform with emotional resonance. Lillard may be a professional now, but hasn’t lost sight of what originally drove him to basketball, which is what the campaign is all about. The spot made its broadcast debut Wednesday during the double-header broadcast of Golden State Warriors vs. Toronto Raptors and Memphis Grizzlies vs. Los Angeles Clippers and will run on broadcast through the first half of the season, as well as online and on social media outlets.
Credits:
Brand/Client: NBA
Campaign Title: This Is Why We Play
Spot Title: Damian Lillard : The Show
Agency: Translation
Chief Executive Officer: Steve Stoute
Chief Creative Officer: John Norman
Chief Strategy Officer: John Greene
Group Creative Director: Matthew McFerrin
Group Creative Director: Achilles Li
Director of Broadcast Production: Miriam Franklin
Content Producer: Kristen Cooler
Group Account Director: Stanley Lumax
Account Director: Agustina Marcos
Senior Project Manager: Matt DeSimone
Production Company: Reserve Label
Director: Jacob Rosenberg
Director of Photography: Jeff Bierman Executive Producer: Ryan Slavin
Line Producer: Ari Weiner
Editorial: Final Cut
Editor: Jeff Buchanan
Executive Producer: Sarah Roebuck
Head of Production: Jen Sienkwicz
Producer (NY): Brad Wood
Producer (LA): Ana Orrach
Cutting Assistant: Spencer Campbell
Assistant Editor (NY): Brandon Iben
Assistant Editor (LA): Dillon Stoneburner
Postproduction Company: Significant Others
Creative Director: Dirk Greene
VFX Producer: Alek Rost
GFX Artist: Phillip Brooks
Audio Company: Significant Others
Sound Designer: T. Terressa Tate
Sound Assist: Chas Langston
Audio Producer: Alek Rost
Music House: Future Perfect
Music Composer: Andy Huckvale
Executive Producer: Maxwell Gosling