Beale's best in show: Nike (72andsunny)
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Your support makes all the difference.There was a time when a new Nike advert was a subject for slavering anticipation in adland. Then they all came a bit repetitive, indistinguishable, not just one from another but from plenty of other sports brand ads.
Not this one. This one hits you between the eyes. Literally. It's long (two minutes), it's directed by Guy Ritchie (triumphantly) and it's got more impact than a size five on the back of the head. Ritchie might not have scored a feature film goal for a while, but he's, ahem, right in the back of the net with Nike's football spot.
It is an amazing commercial and you don't have to love football to love it. It is filmed as though you're in the ad yourself, the camera is your eyes. You are an amateur footballer who gets signed up by Arsenal and suddenly you are a superstar playing alongside Cesc Fabregas, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo, right there on the pitch, in the action. There is pain, triumph, adulation and girls.
The ad, called Next Level, was created by US agency 72andSunny, with a soundtrack by Eagles of Death Metal. Lovingly directed and crisply edited, it feels borne from a real love of the game. It is designed to turn young guys on to playing football. It will.
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