You Got Schooled: Put On Your Gambling Shoes

[duncan228]

You Got Schooled: Put on your gambling shoes
By Chris Ferrell - Express-News commentary

You may have seen Nike’s most recent ad campaign featuring puppet versions of Lakers star Kobe Bryant and Cavaliers MVP LeBron James. Dwight Howard has and says he and his Orlando teammates are using the commercials as motivation: “Hopefully we can mess up those plans of getting Cleveland and L.A. in the Finals. If the lil’ ol’ Magic make it, what will they say then?”

If you work for Nike or the NBA, it will probably be a four-letter word.

But as other shoe commercials pitting athletes against each other over the years have shown, winning isn’t the only way to promote your product. Unfortunately for ABC and the league, their dream matchup is probably the only one that ensures big television ratings:


Shoots and scores — Magic and Bird

Got to be the shoes: Converse

As seen on TV: The 1986 ad perfectly captures the decade’s best sports rivalry when reigning MVP Magic Johnson’s limo comes plowing down a dirt road in rural French Lick, Ind., and a one-on-one game with three-time MVP Larry Bird ensues.

Believe the hype: The Lakers and Celtics met in the ’87 NBA Finals — the third and final time during the Magic and Bird era — with L.A. winning in six games. The Hall of Famers combined to win eight rings and six MVP awards from 1979-90.

Watch it: http://tinyurl.com/d52lqj


Failed to qualify — Dan and Dave

Got to be the shoes: Reebok

As seen on TV: Leading up to the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Reebok featured decathletes Dan O’Brien and Dave Johnson in a campaign to determine the world’s greatest athlete.

Not so fast: Dan failed to make the team at the U.S. Olympic trials, and Dave had to settle for bronze at the Summer Games. But if you can name a decathlete other than Jim Thorpe or Bruce Jenner, it’s probably Dan or Dave. Would that be the case 17 years later if everything had gone according to plan in Barcelona? Probably not.

Watch it: http://tinyurl.com/bgha5p


To be determined — Kobe and LeBron

Got to be the shoes: Nike

As seen on TV: “MVPuppet” likenesses of the NBA’s two biggest stars live together Bert and Ernie-style, trumpeting their accomplishments in a series of ads leading up to their anticipated NBA Finals matchup.

Could be fun: What looked like a slam dunk for Nike is now anything but thanks to tough series with the Magic and Nuggets. How great would a commercial featuring puppet LeBron and puppet Kobe sitting on the couch watching Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard play for the Larry O’Brien Trophy be?

Watch it: http://tinyurl.com/q6nyh7

[Indazone]

So much for stupid marketing. They should never have rolled those commercials out until the finals were set.