ESPN: "THE NAME" TV Commercial by Wieden + Kennedy New York

Type of Entry: Product & Service
Category: Publications & Media
Title: THE NAME
Advertiser/Client: ESPN
Product/Service: ESPN
Entrant Company: WIEDEN+KENNEDY New York, USA
DM/Advertising Agency: WIEDEN+KENNEDY New York, USA
Brief Explanation
This commercial creatively explores the challenges of sharing a name with a famous athlete.
Shot exclusively in Chicago, Ill., the new spot follows Michael Jordan as he checks in at doctor’s offices, restaurants and at Chicago Midway Airport. Of course, this Michael Jordan is not the legendary basketball player. Rather, he’s an average guy, who maintains a brave face while encountering one disappointed fan after the next. Among the many disillusioned fans featured in the spot are delivery drivers from Lou Malnati’s and Penny’s Noodle Shop, two authentic Chicago eateries, as well as the host and waiter at Mon Ami Gabi, a restaurant in Lincoln Park.
ESPN’s “IT’S NOT CRAZY, IT’S SPORTS” brand campaign is an effort to expose fans and the greater public to truths that are normal in the world of sports, yet outside of it, anything but. The campaign celebrates all the bizarre, inspiring, ridiculous, random and loveable ways sports affect culture and our lives.