Marshawn Lynch Talks to the Hand in Loony Ads for Xbox Madden NFL 18

Marshawn Lynch knows how to talk with his hands. In September, he made obscene gestures during his first game back after a year of retirement, earning a $12,000 fine from the National Football League. Now, the Oakland Raiders running back, famously nicknamed "Beast Mode," lets one of his hands do some silly, G-rating talking to promote Madden NFL 18 on Xbox. Meet Lynch's unlikely alter-ego, Baby Beast Mode—which is, in fact, the player's own right hand, balled into a fist, sporting dreadlocks and creepy-cute animated eyes. Lynch and the hand enjoy animated conversations, with actor Asante Jones providing the squeaky voice for the five-time Pro Bowler's little pal. In the first spot below, the hand jives Lynch about the outsized role it's played in the gridiron superstar's illustrious career: [kickout id="1"] You've got to hand it to 215 McCann for developing a campaign that offers up such bat-shit goofiness. Agency creative chief Scott Duchon says the idea sprang from the simple notion that "it's your hand that yields the power when playing Madden," and works especially well "because Marshawn is known for being someone who doesn't do a lot of talking. But when he does, it's something you'll remember." OK, well sure, now everything about this makes sense. Next, we learn Baby Beast can't handle a two-point conversion: [kickout id="2"] Finally, in the wackiest ad of the bunch, Lynch gives his hand a hand (it's a bobble-hand, actually) after a night on the town: [kickout id="3"] "Our initial reaction to the creative was a ton of laughter and excitement," says Xbox integrated marketing director Craig McNary. "But it also needed to be really hardworking. From a messaging standpoint, we wanted to build on our strength that the power of Xbox One X delivers the best Madden NFL 18 experience on any console." No need to overexplain. Basically, it's a huge football-playing dude talking to his little hand about Madden and Xbox. That rates a big thumbs-up in our book! Ultimately, the no-frills creative concept came in handy, as "we had less than two hours of Marshawn's time, and this approach let us make the most of it," says Duchon. "On set, we hoped to make it as loose and easy for him as possible. Our writer pitched him a vibe for the spots as 'Sesame Street comes to Oakland,' and it comes across in how genuine and funny Marshawn is onscreen. He's E for Everyone!" CREDITS Client: Microsoft – Xbox Director, Xbox Integrated Marketing: Craig McNary Senior Manager, Xbox Integrated Marketing: Michael Rivera-Dirks Senior Product Marketer, Xbox Global Marketing: Jeanie DuMont Client: Electronic Arts Sr. Business Development Manager: Rosanne Elkington Sr. Director of Brand Management: Josh Rabenovets Global Campaign Manager: Joe Fraler Global Brand Manager: Jennica Pearson Art Director: Josh Kline Producer: Jeff Ostergaard Lead Cinematic Artist: Chris Warnock Associate Cinematic Artist: Mark Burd Creative Agency: 215 McCann Chief Creative Officer: Scott Duchon Creative Director: Ezra Paulekas ACD/Art Director: Kevin Koller Senior Copywriter: John Choe Art Director: Sean Flores Director of Integrated Production: Alex Spahr Agency Producer: Jonathan Matthews Business Director: Peter Goldstein Account Director: Drew Porter Account Supervisor: Devina Hardatt Account Executive: Armando Melendez Strategy Director: Cassidy Wilber Senior Strategist: Ryan Ouyoumjian Live Action Production: duffy/williams Directed by Shadd Williams & Michael Duffy Produced by Shadd Williams Director of Photography: Michael Duffy Production Design: Sterling Storm Editorial: Cabin Editing Company Editor: Randy Baublis Producer: Michelle Dorsch VFX Artist: Verdi Sevenhuysen Managing Partner: Carr Schilling Audio: One Union Recording Engineer: Joaby Deal Producer: Lauren Mask Finishing – Emerson Digital Flame Artist: Mark Emerson Sound Design & Mix: Mission Film and Digital Colorist: Ayumi Ashley Producer: Nick Castillo

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Marshawn Lynch Talks to the Hand in Loony Ads for Xbox Madden NFL 18

NFL icon goes into 'Baby Beast Mode'

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