Advertising Inspiration is Key for Agencies
This ad from Wieden + Kennedy for Powerade is about life and basketball, and it’s a great example of how to use inspiration in advertising. Though there are many ways to get your message across, using advertising inspiration in the form of emotion is one of the best. Emotion draws the viewer in, and connects with them on a deeper level.
This ad grabs you as soon as the talking starts, and it hits you that you’re listening to the voice of the late Tupac Shakur. As you listen to him read a deeply inspiring poem written long before his death, you’re hit right in the gut with a strong stab of emotion. The poem speaks to something that lives within all of us – the desire for greatness. This dynamic use of emotion is a perfect example of advertising inspiration.
“We wouldn’t ask why a rose that grew from the concrete for having damaged petals, in turn, we would all celebrate its tenacity, we would all love its will to reach the sun, well, we are the roses, this is the concrete and these are my damaged petals, don’t ask me why, ask me how”
― Tupac Shakur, The Rose That Grew from Concrete
The video tells us the story of Derrick Rose, a professional basketball player from Chicago who made it, in spite of his rough childhood and the numerous obstacles he faced to get to the NBA. The line: “we’re all just a kid from somewhere” speaks to the fact that everyone that anyone can do anything they put their mind to, as long as they are willing to put in the effort. It also shows that every professional starts as just a kid with a big dream.
CREDITS
Client: Powerade
Agency: Wieden + Kennedy
Production Company: Smuggler
Director: Jaron Albertin
