Bringing out emotion in the Playoffs

So I'm not going to lie. I think most of us have a little trouble grasping just how exciting, just how big the Playoffs are to NBA players, or to athletes in general -- whether you mean the NBA playoff stage or the state high school playoff stage.

The Cleveland Cavs created a commercial that juxtaposes (big word alert!) the emotion going through players' hearts and minds alongside that of a woman may feel after getting engaged. I won't say any more. Just click and watch this goodness!



This may be a parody of a Heineken commercial, sure. But it is better. WAY better. Check out LeBron's role here...

NBA's Amazing Campaign

I am a big fan of the NBA's playoff campaign, for many reasons. I like the versatility of it - they are taking a concept, centered around amazing moments in the game, and are applying it to multiple players across multiple teams and players. The message is consistent, great highlights are celebrated.

There are between 25-30 different spots. This one might be my favorite, it was created through a collaboration with the NBA and Kanye West.



For a couple other great ones, here's Kobe and LeBron... and because I have to share it, AK47.

Werner Ladder and Hoop City

So I was lucky enough to head to Detroit for NCAA Final Four weekend. On Saturday before the games, I made my way to Hoops City, the basketball extravaganza set up for families to go and celebrate the sport. Lots of what you found was very predictable - loads of shooting stations, a 3-on-3 tournament, and a traveling museum of college basketball. But what I wasn't planning on seeing was Werner Ladder.

Werner Ladder. The official ladder of the NCAA (honestly, how many of us even knew the NCAA had an official ladder?) But the more I thought about it and witnessed what they did, the more I thought this to be pretty brilliant. So they had a contest to see who could hang on the rim the longest (see picture above). There was a clock that counted up and a virtual leader board. They took your picture and drove you here to pick it up.

And when you check out this site, you find their Flickr feed. And there's a collection of videos on the history of cutting down the nets. They are tapping into the emotion that exists in the minds of athletes and coaches (and fans) that going up that ladder symbolizes. And they are differentiating themselves in a big way.

Now this is really only a starting point, if you ask me. How can they take this NCAA model and apply it somewhere else? How can they get youth teams or high school teams to post their own ladder moments on this Flickr page? That is the power of this - when they can take the NCAA moments and apply them to a larger audience. When we all start thinking of Werner ladders as a part of an emotional journey. I am intrigued here - and would love to see how this develops.

Coach Carroll wants Will Ferrell. No wonder kids want to play for him.

This is pretty sweet. Coach Pete Carroll has posted a video trying to get Will Farrell onto Twitter. He's taken the time to go talk to USC students on this and put together a hilarious piece. How brilliant is this guy? It's no wonder he does such a good job in recruiting -- as a 17 year old kid, how could you not love playing for him?



Here is his Twitter feed, which is also brilliant by the way. Coaches can't talk to kids. But they can post their thoughts online and kids can choose to check them out. This doesn't cross any lines, but it does show you (as a 17 year old kid) what his personality is like. That to me is inspiring stuff.

More Advice from a Coach

In case you haven't gotten enough of Coach K, I just had to share this one. To launch the new Nike iD Hyperdunks (which are pretty amazing), this video was created.



I'd love to see this not just as one video, but as a series. And I'd like the making of the video. Putting a different spin on a coach is just captivating.

College Coaches and Guitar Hero

So if you haven't seen this video yet, allow me to open your eyes to this bit of digital goodness. In time for both the NCAA Final Four and the launch of Guitar Hero Metallica, the team at Activision has released a version of the Risky Business guitar scene featuring 4 coaches (Roy Williams of UNC, Mike Krzyzewski of Duke, Rick Pitino of Louisville, and Bobby Knight of Indiana and Texas Tech in their undies. (thankfully the answer to the question is boxers, not briefs)



I loved this ad, as it did a few things really well: It surprised you and made you talk about it, it hit in a timely manner, and it showed that anyone can have fun and jam out.

All that said, I think they uncovered an opportunity and just hit on the tip of it. How do you go even deeper? Where's the making of this commercial video you ask?



Give me more!