There Can Only Be One

I was watching the NBA playoffs last night at a bar and one of these split-screen commercials came on. Immediately everyone began talking about it and it confirmed my belief that this was one of the NBA's most effective campaigns. It works because it is simple but a the same time it is visually stunning because seeing two people become one and speak in synchronicity is strikingly weird. Weird is good in my opinion and especially in advertising. It catches people's attention. This campaign is so successful because it adds drama to all the series'. Just the idea of seeing Kobe and Shaq in the same commercial wearing different uniforms gives basketball fans chills. Also, the copy on all these commercials is great. It's philosophical and deep yet so relevant to competitive sports. Probably one of the best ways to tell if a campaign is successful is when it invites parody. Have you seen the latest Time magazine commercial with Hillary and Obama on the cover? The concept of this campaign has obviously transcended sports. YouTube is full of parodies as well (some hilarious one I may add). The slogan for the campaign is "There can only be one" which again is utterly simplistic but so effective because it is completely true. In the NBA playoffs, there can only be one champion and eventually there will be no split-screen commercials but just one face of one champion. It's brilliant. The NBA has definetely increased their stock this year with their advertising. I think Goodby Silverstein has really understood how to get to the heart of the basketball fanatic. The regular season campaign, "Where Amazing Happens", was also very simple and very open to parody. On a side note, go Chris Paul.