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Harden from Adweek: How brands are harnessing James Harden's irresistible millennial appeal

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by xiki, Feb 16, 2016.

  1. xiki

    xiki Contributing Member

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    http://www.adweek.com/news/advertis...IB 2/16/2016&utm_term=NBA National Newsletter


    How Brands Are Harnessing James Harden's Irresistible Millennial Appeal Trolli candy taps 'weirdly awesome' NBA star By David Gianatasio
    February 12, 2016, 1:06 PM ESTAdvertising & Branding

    New spot takes us inside the 26-year-old athlete's head. YouTube: Trolli
    James Harden is fast becoming the go-to star for millennial-savvy brands.
    In the run-up to Taco Bell's Super Bowl commercial, the hirsute Houston Rockets guard helped the brand build buzz by appearing in a cryptic teaser for its mystery menu item, ultimately revealed as the Quesalupa (basically, a chalupa with cheese in its shell). He also showed up in the chain's 30-second Big Game spot.
    Now, Harden lets his quirky personality and famous facial hair run wild in a new campaign touting Ferrara's Trolli brand gummy candies. "The core Trolli target is millennials and Gen Z consumers," Jill Manchester, Ferrara senior vice president of marketing and brand strategy, told Adweek. "We know these consumers like to keep it real and be authentic to their true self. This same spirit is what drives Trolli and drives James."
    Harden's a big part of Ferrara's plan to double sales to $2 billion by 2020. Trolli contributed $167 million in revenue for 2015, up nearly 16 percent year over year, outpacing overall category growth by more than 5 percent.
    Given the growing renown of the superstar (he has almost 7 million followers across social media) and the NBA's popularity with young adults, Manchester believes the campaign will keep the brand's youthful audience engaged and attract new fans.
    Harden appears in a range of assets from Minneapolis agency Periscope, including the 30-second spot below. Channeling a manic Terry Crews/Old Spice vibe, the ad takes us inside Harden's head (well, many heads, actually)—with the help of laser-beam eye-blaster effects and a flying-V guitar solo:

    During the shoot, "he was constantly making funny faces or rolling his eyes, and the entire crew would crack up," said Manchester. "We had a lot of retakes, and the audio is filled mostly with people laughing. He brought his hover board and scooted around the set."
    In the next clip, the man's disembodied beard bristles at questions during an animated press conference—including a joke about Harden's $200 million Adidas endorsement deal:

    The brand tweaked its "Weirdly Awesome" tagline to "#BeardlyAwesome" on social platforms, and Harden's beard will respond to tweets that use the hashtag. Meanwhile, fans who just can't get enough might enjoy the "never-ending Harden beard" blooming in perpetuity on the brand's Instagram account.
    "James also has his own special ritual for eating Trolli Sour Brite Crawlers," Manchester said. "He takes a bite, one color at a time, one half at a time."
    Soon, the pitchman will be able to practice that technique on gummy versions of himself. A Trolli Sour Brite Weird Beards line extension—with Harden's smiling face represented in all its shaggy splendor—hits stores this spring.
     
  2. Mr. Clutch

    Mr. Clutch Contributing Member

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    " the audio is filled mostly with people laughing. "

    What a coincidence, that's the audio for Rockets games too
     
  3. FTW Rockets FTW

    FTW Rockets FTW Contributing Member

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  4. daywalker02

    daywalker02 Member

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    Is that a guy from Taliban doing commercial

    Lol
     
  5. txtodd

    txtodd Member

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    Our guy does Taco Bell and gummy worm commercials. Does Curry have Whole Foods locked down?
     
  6. Tfor3

    Tfor3 Member

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  7. Pizza_Da_Hut

    Pizza_Da_Hut I put on pants for this?

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  8. Tenchi

    Tenchi Contributing Member

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    Curry wins championships. Harden wins crappy candy sponsorships. Haribo FTW.
     
  9. Houstunna

    Houstunna The Most Unbiased Fan
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    Harden's appeal is great for him and Houston.

    Maybe one day a better mindset to pair with it.
     
  10. HR Dept

    HR Dept Contributing Member

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    Ohhhh... So that's how he does it. Illegal screens, gotcha.

    [​IMG]

    Edit: Sorry brehemeth, you didn't deserve that... This team and all these trade talks just have me a little cranky.
     
  11. Pizza_Da_Hut

    Pizza_Da_Hut I put on pants for this?

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    I was super proud of my joke, I'm just glad someone finally said something about it. Haha.

    Here's to hoping we get a Drexler-esque trade in the next 48 h.
     
  12. topfive's_gf

    topfive's_gf Member

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    [​IMG]

    :grin:
     
  13. bulkatron

    bulkatron Member

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    Can he use the hoverboard to help him rotate on defense?
     
  14. cdrive

    cdrive Contributing Member

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    I agree 1000 percent. Screw Curry, the Warriors and all their nut huggers.

    Moving screens, flops, and modern NBA rules that created genocide on bigs and created "can't breathe on me" perimeter shooters.
     
  15. Dave_78

    Dave_78 Member

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    Doesn't move laterally. That should be another endorsment for him.
     
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