Ancestry.com Looks at Where the 'Miracle on Ice' U.S. Hockey Players Really Came From

On the eve of the Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea, five members of the "Miracle on Ice" 1980 gold-medal-winning U.S. men's Olympic hockey team reunite for an Ancestry.com ad, reminding us that, in America, "Greatness Comes From Everywhere," because our ethnic heritage is so diverse. Dave Christian, Mike Eruzione, John Harrington, Rob McClanahan and Buzz Schneider don't actually appear in the 60-second spot from Droga5, which consists of stylized footage designed to capture the power and passion of the game and achieve an archival effect. Instead, the players provide the narration, recalling their improbable upset of the dominant Soviet team 38 years ago. Schneider calls that victory, en route to a final-round win over Finland, "the greatest upset in American sports history." [kickout id="1"] "We were more than American…" Harrington says. "I never realized we were from all over," adds Schneider. "Italian, Middle Eastern, Jewish, Turkey, Iran," says Eruzione. "That's what makes America what it is." It's unclear who voices the cheeky kicker: "I didn't know I was part Russian." In fact, the five guys had their DNA tested through Ancestry, and the results showed that three of the players have Finnish/Northwest Russian roots, while two others can trace their heritage back to the Caucasus. Schneider concludes: "And we all came together as one. That's what made us champions." "With so much attention on American pride and athleticism during this time of year, we took a step back and came up with a creative idea that gets to the heart of where American sports heroes really come from, and what really makes them so great," Ancestry CMO Vineet Mehra tells AdFreak. "We feel that this moment of great national pride is the perfect opportunity to spotlight the importance of unity and inclusivity, and encourage people to look into their own greatness, too." This is a medal-winning idea, stirring but not schlocky, and in keeping with Droga5's other efforts for the client. Still, some viewers might award the execution silver or bronze instead of gold. The speakers are never identified, and we're provided with no information about their Carter-era triumph at Lake Placid. It's not even clear we're talking about the Olympics here. Are 38-year-old hockey heroics that well remembered? A big swath of the audience wasn't even born at the time. (The ad won't actually run during NBC's PyeongChang coverage, further limiting context.) All of this makes the historical set-up kind of vague. A few quick words of explanation flashed on screen would have worked wonders. OK, it's not an official Olympic commercial ... but still. All that said, the underlying concept—the ad's DNA, as it were—is strong. The mix of narration and visual storytelling still scores. So, the commercial achieves its goal, explaining just enough to deliver a thoughtful, timely message. "We're aiming to reach all Americans," Mehra says. "We hope it resonates with and encourages people to explore their own ethnicity and look at the U.S. and its greatness in different ways." CREDITS Client Ancestry Agency Droga5 NY Creative Chairman David Droga Executive Creative Director Kevin Brady Group Creative Director Justin Ruben Creative Director Paul Meates Creative Director Thom Glover Copywriter Ted Meyer Art Director Tommaso Fontanella Designer Dan Pulito Chief Creation Officer Sally-Ann Dale Co-Directors of Film Production Jesse Brihn, Bryan Litman Executive Producer, Film Tricia Lentini Himot Producer, Film Anna Wright-Hands Producer, Film Leah Donnenberg Associate Producer, Film Lily Allen Music Supervisor Mike Ladman Director of Business Affairs Jocelyn Howard Sr. Business Affairs Manager Shaunda Slade Global Chief Strategy Officer Jonny Bauer Co-Head of Strategy Colm Murphy Strategy Director Tom Gibby Senior Brand Strategist Ryan McDaid Head of Communications Strategy Colleen Leddy Group Communications Strategy Director Dean Challis Senior Communications Strategist Kathryn Ruocco Chief Intelligence Officer Amy Avery Data Strategy Director Evan Fung Junior Data Strategist Jenna Moorman Head of Account Management Dan Gonda Group Account Director Phillipa Campbell Account Director Sharon Byer Account Manager Taylor Berry Associate Account Manager Tehjal Suri Project Manager Sam Song Project Manager Kareem Miller Client Ancestry EVP, Chief Marketing Officer Vineet Mehra VP, Marketing Caroline Sheu Executive Creative Director Paige Grossman Director, Brand Experience DNA Mark Chiarcossi Director, Brand Experience Family History Bill De Groot Production Company Stink Films Directors Jones+Tino Managing Director Jeff Baron Executive Producer Melinda Nugent Line Producer Nadine Brown Head of Production Nick Fuller Director of Photography Franz Lustig Production Designer Zuzana Sucha Service Company Division Productions Executive Producer Rok Bukovec Line Producer Vlaho Krile Editorial Cosmo Street Editor (via Trim, London) Paul Hardcastle Assistant Editor: Josh Berger Executive Producer Maura Woodward Head of Production Luiza Naritomi Post Production The Mill Colorist Mikey Rossiter Color Executive Producer Rochelle Brown Color Producer Evan Bauer Color Coordinator Blake Rice Color Assists Nate Seymour, Dan Moisoff, Elias Nousiopoulos Executive Producer(s) Thomas Gibson, Rachael Trillo Associate Producer Sophie Mitchell VFX Supervisor & Senior Lead Compositor Antoine Douadi 2D Artists James Cudahy, K Khanna, Sung Eun Moon, Taner Besen Music Found Objects Composer Jay Wadley Executive Producer Jennie Armon Senior Producer Matt Nelson Track Title “Blue Line” Sound Heard City Sound Designer Evan Mangiamele, Elizabeth McClanahan Mixer Evan Mangiamele Executive Producer Sasha Awn

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Ancestry.com Looks at Where the 'Miracle on Ice' U.S. Hockey Players Really Came From

Droga5 spot explores what it means to be American

David Gianatasio

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David Gianatasio