Snoop Dogg Channels Frank Sinatra in JL's Latest Visually Stunning Ad for Adidas Originals

For its new, wildly impressionistic ad, Adidas Originals turned to two odd-couple musical icons who have always done things their way: Frank Sinatra and Snoop Dogg. The larger Adidas brand's most recent ad targeted Chinese athletes looking to express their own personal style. But the new "Original Is Never Finished" campaign from Originals global lead agency Johannes Leonardo takes a different tack by focusing on those who have never wavered from their roots. In addition to Snoop, the spot features pop stars Dev Hynes (aka Blood Orange), Stormzy and Mabel, as well as Los Angeles Lakers small forward Brandon Ingram, former NBA star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and more. It's quite a bit to take in for a spot that channels everything from classic hip-hop to the Italian Renaissance. "Everything we do for Adidas Originals is a work in progress, as true creativity is never finished," says Alegra O'Hare, vp of global communications for the Originals and Core brands. "We are constantly challenging ourselves and breaking down the boundaries that limit imagination; we hope to inspire all creators to do the same." Recent Originals campaigns have played on the idea of the past informing the present and future. Last year, the brand called on 10 artists to create visual representations of what the future might look like and produced an influencer-driven campaign best described as "dystopian." JL creative director Wes Phelan says the agency has spent its three-year partnership with Originals establishing and returning to the brand's history in an effort to remove "the shackles that hold back creativity." "Each of the scenes are, in a way, a reference to a moment of cultural relevance," he says, describing the "Birth of Venus" scene as "the digital wasteland—a symbol of the pace at which we are going through modern technologies." This spot marks the launch of a larger campaign that will roll out across all of 2017. JL and Adidas Originals plan to continue revisiting and refreshing the same themes throughout, and Phelan says the current ad is "part of a bigger story we've been building toward." Regarding the Snoop cameo, Phelan says, "He has stayed true to himself and always adds a touch of Snoop Dogg to everything he touches, which makes him an original. The ultimate point is, I can do anything I need to do." CREDITS Cast Song: Remix of "My Way" by Frank Sinatra recreated by Human Snoop Dogg in "Doggystyle" Stormzy in "Trap Syrup" Mabel in "Tunnel" Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Brandon Ingram in "Raining Basketballs" Dej Loaf in "Inflated" Dev Hynes in "Mirrors" Gonz and Lucas Puig in "Lucas & The Gonz" Petra Collins in "The Birth of Venus" Client: Adidas Originals General Manager: Arthur Hoeld Global Vice President, Brand Communications: Alegra O'Hare Global Director of Communications, Brand Marketing: Jenny Pham Senior Manager Communications: Edi Borrelli Senior Director, Global Brand Marketing Operations and Creative Shoot Production: John van Tuyll Shoot and Production Manager: Justin Townsend Agency: Johannes Leonardo Chief Creative Officers: Jan Jacobs, Leo Premutico Creative Director, Partner: Ferdinando Verderi Creative Directors: Wesley Phelan, Matthew Edwards Copywriter: Jeph Burton Art Director: Hunter Hampton Head of Integrated Production: Dana May Executive Producer: Maria Perez Senior Producers (Film): Tina Diep, Stine Moisen Producer (Online Content): Doug Moffitt Production Coordinator (Film, Online Content): Alexandra Olivo Group Account Director: Sam McCallum Account Director: Dom Dalton Account Supervisor: Gulru Soylu Head of Strategy: Mark Aronson Strategist: Miné Cakmak Senior Business Affairs Manager: Ann Marie Turbitt Production Company: RSA Films Director: Terence Neale Executive Producers: Jules Daly, Paul Kawasaki Producer: Rozanne Rocha-Gray Director of Photography: Alexis Zabe Production Company: Cape Town Egg Films Executive Producer: Colin Howard Producer: Rozanne Rocha-Gray Editorial: Exile Lead Editor: Shane Reid Editors: Jay McConville, Travis Moore Executive Producers: Sasha Hirschfeld, Carol Lynn Weaver Head of Production: Melanie Gagliano Visual Effects: Blacksmith Visual Effects Supervisor, 2-D Lead: Iwan Zwarts 2-D Compositors: Daniel Morris, Liz Lyons Rotoscoping: Trace VFX 3-D Lead Artist: Tom Bussell 3-D Artist: Ylli Orana Executive Producer: Charlotte Arnold Producer: Megan Sweet Color: Company 3 Colorist: Tom Poole Producer: Clare Movshon Music: "My Way" Writers: Claude Francois, Jacques Revaux, Gilles Thibaut, Paul Anka Publisher: BMG Master: Frank Sinatra, Universal Music Enterprise Adidas Global Music Manager: Daniel Cross Music: "Human Remix" Creative Lead, Music Director: Morgan Visconti Creative Lead, Sound Design: Michael Jurasits Executive Producer: James Dean Wells Composer, Arranger: James Leibow Sound Design: Q Department Executive Producer: Zack Rice Producer: Guin Frehling Sound Mix: Sonic Union Sound Engineer: Steve Rosen Executive Producer: Justine Cortale Producer: Patrick Sullivan Videographer (Cape Town): Deon van Zyl Videographer (Los Angeles): Anton du Preez Photographers: Hayden Phipps, Cape Town; Dan Regan and Atiba Jefferson, Los Angeles Editors: Sean Dunn, Misha Spivack

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Snoop Dogg Channels Frank Sinatra in JL's Latest Visually Stunning Ad for Adidas Originals

Snoop did it his way: Doggystyle

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