Kobe Bryant and Kanye West Nike Ad ("Kobe System" ad campaign by Nike)

This "Kobe System" ad is probably one of my favorite ads, and I'm trying to figure out if I'm just being a biased Kobe/Kanye fan or it's actually a really creative and effective ad campaign.

Describe: This Nike commercial released around January 2012 is 30 seconds long and was the sixth of a series of "Kobe System" commercials shown on the internet and TV. The commercials take place in an auditorium filled with other successful celebrities with Kobe Bryant as the speaker. All of the commercials start with introducing the level of the system, which in this case was "Level 06," and a topic, which in this case was described by the word "Beastion." The dialog starts with Kanye West (a very well known rapper), asking Kobe Bryant how he can become even better than he already is. After Kobe tells Kanye he can break more records, Kanye says, "But I'm the best." Kobe then asks him "But are you a different animal, and the same beast?" Shortly after Kobe's reply, Kanye keeps an extremely straight face and asks "What the **** does that mean Kobe Bryant?" Kobe then abruptly ends the dialog with the words "Your welcome," which is followed by everyone in the crowds applause. I first saw this ad on Facebook because I have Kobe Bryant "liked" and receive the updates.

Analyze: The commercial uses plenty persuasive techniques. The ad is full of famous celebrities for one, which associates Nike with the popular, wealthy, and famous individuals. The snob appeal approach is clearly used because the social status of the celebrities are already high, and they are all trying to become even more successful. The bandwagon effect can also be considered due to the fact that the whole crowd is full of celebrities and if they all are supporting Nike by being in the ad, then why not support Nike too. The hidden fear could also apply because the already successful are realizing that they can become even more successful, so it doesn't matter who you are to be able to improve. I also know that the phrase "Your're welcome" could be taken and imitated in similar context in real life, and it could become very irritating to the Kobe haters. I can tie pretty much all of the persuasive strategies into the commercial somehow except for the plain folks technique. I think Nike made good use of TV and the internet because their ad made it to me. I'm pretty sure if I saw the commercial on ESPN, so they are targeting a good crowd of viewers (sports fans) from the Television medium.

Interpret: I haven't seen an ad quite like this before. A world famous athlete teaching celebrities success for the successful  including a world famous music artist isn't something you see often. I think the target audience is very broad and could be almost anyone. Audiences could range from sports fans, athletes, or young adults all the way to just about anyone who would recognize either of the two superstars. I have seen a plethora of different types of people wear Nike.  As far as stereotypes go, I didn't recognize any that were obvious or intended.

Evaluate: Along with the other ads in the "Kobe System" campaign, I think the ad was very good. It used a variety of persuasive strategies and was definitely memorable. The caliber of people in the ad, odd script, Kanye West's facial expressions, and the ability the commercial had to make you think about what was said makes it memorable to me.  I think the commercial increased the popularity of Nike and Kobe Bryant's apparel, and gave Kanye West's career a boost at the same time. Due to the fact that this commercial is memorable, I think It will increase the number of people with Nike/Kobe/Kanye on their mind, which will increase sales and popularity within the reached audience. If I didn't know what Nike was and recognized a couple world famous celebrities in the company's commercials, I'd probably check it out.

Conclusion: The first thing that I wasn't expecting was for just about every one of the persuasive strategies in the book to be incorporated somehow in the ad. When I was trying to look at the ad from as many different perspectives as I could I noticed the techniques best. I also realized in creating this blog how important it is for your ad to be memorable. It's crazy how many ads there are out there and how many we have to filter through, which definitely makes it harder to be remembered in advertising.

Related Links: Nike Kobe Apparel
First 5 Kobe System Ads




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