New Gatorade commercial - "If I could be like Lebron"

[YahooFanChicago]

Remember the popular Gatorade commercial "If I could be like Mike" which earned MJ millions and increased the Gatorade brand sales about 10 years ago? It sucked for us Cavs fans because it ended with MJ's shot over Ehlo but objectively speaking it was a highly succesful commercial worth huge money to the brand and to MJ. People liked it and identified with it. Well, maybe not in Cleveland but in most other places.

If Lebron would have stayed in Cleveland and won even 1 or 2 championships he could have had that sort of legacy and attracted those types of commercial endorsements.

I can't see it ever happening for him now mainly because the masses don't want to be like an asshole.

Nice job Lebron and advisors.

For those of you that don't remember it here is a link..sorry, I am too technically challenged to know how to link to the video..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0AGiq9j_Ak

[Hikohadon]

Oh my god. Watching that now... that was the beginning of big-media-mega-overexposure-hero-worship vomit.

Don't be like Mike. Mike just plays basketball. Be like someone who is a real hero. Or, better, be like yourself.

[Orenthal]

Kobe is like Mike, just can't fake being nice for the PR machine.

[FUDU]

Thanks I feel like I'm 60yrs old watching that, glass Gatorade bottles, and that stupid extremely over rated & uncalled for move against the Lakers to kick off the ad.

[Zip Watcher]

The best thing about that series of commercials was Barkley singing it to Jordan in Barcelona during the dream team Olympics. Funny stuff when the other stars poked fun at Jorda for it.

[CP]

These new stars have no idea how to make a commercial and connect with people. They're all about showing how built they are, how high they can jump, etc.



Pure classic.

The best part of the newer commercials are when they put the 80s personalities in there. Howard/James McD's commercial? Sucks until Larry Bird eats their food.
Wade/Howard T-Mobile commercials? Nothing without Barkley poking fun at himself.

[Larvell Blanks]

Thanks I feel like I'm 60yrs old watching that, glass Gatorade bottles, and that stupid extremely over rated & uncalled for move against the Lakers to kick off the ad.

THANK YOU! I was saying that from day 1. He had absolutely no reason to switch hands on that play as no one from the Lakers challenged the shot. I cringed everytime I heard Marv Albert's call of, "Michael Jordan with a spectacular shot"

[Hi Oktane]

Btw, anyone else done with Vitamin Water, State Farm, etc. for sponsoring "The Decision", aka Lebron doing Cleveland execution-style?

[Larvell Blanks]

Btw, anyone else done with Vitamin Water, State Farm, etc. for sponsoring "The Decision", aka Lebron doing Cleveland execution-style?

Haven't done a boycott but I laughed last night when I saw that all the Vitamin water at Target was in the sale aisle. Cost per bottle was marked WAY down from normal.

[Nicastro13]

If anyone wants to boycott State Farm I'm an Allstate Agent shoot me a PM, I can do all of PA and Ohio. Shameless Plug's over carry on.

[Fire Marshall Bill]

Kobe is like Mike, just can't fake being nice for the PR machine.

DING! DING! DING! DING! DING! DING! DING! DING!

Two of the biggest phonies in sports have been Jordan and Cal Ripken,Jr with Doug Flutie a close 3rd

[papacass]

I don't blame Vitamin Water and State Farm for sponsoring "The Decision." They're trying to wring whatever cash they can out of LeBron. I think it's harder that some realize.

For all the cogs in the LBJ marketing machine, he has never really become a transcendent icon. Time was, all the kids in school had Air Jordans. You'd see some kind of Jordan gear in every classroom. Even when I was in grade school, and that was just before he started winning titles.

Jordan was EVERYWHERE, even before '91. He was Ruthian as a pitch man. He carried the Nike brand for more than a decade, and he played a huge role in turning Gatorade from a vaguely urine-colored fluid that football players gulped on the sideline to a soft drink that is in fast-food restaurant drink fountains with flavors like "Arctic Berry Thirst Annihilator."

Jordan's thumbprint is all over that.

LBJ? He has his self-branded shoes, but they haven't even brushed against Air Jordans in terms of popularity. He endorses Nike and Coke products, but hasn't really boosted those brands in any new way. The McDonald's deal was forgotten fairly soon after it was signed.

Maybe playing in a bigger market will help that. Maybe rings will help that. But on both counts, I'm doubtful because LBJ's accomplishments won't stand alone anymore.

For a variety of reasons, LBJ isn't the pitch man that Jordan was, and it seems like a number of large corporations have been disappointed by his inability to carry their products to new places. Maybe that's why LBJ is so focused on China. he's having a hard time conquering the U.S. And that's not going to get any easier now that he's fetching D-Wade's slippers.

[FUDU]

Bill care to elaborate on how Jordan was such a phony?

[Orenthal]

Does he really have to?