In a new commercial spot for Adidas, Robert Griffin III (RG3) looks up at the camera from a squatting position and his voice begins to narrate. "Blow up last season. Every win... every loss... every headline. Blow it all up. 'Cuz all that matters is what you do next."
In a new commercial spot for Adidas, Robert Griffin III (RG3) looks up at the camera from a squatting position and his voice begins to narrate. “Blow up last season. Every win… every loss… every headline. Blow it all up. ‘Cuz all that matters is what you do next.”
The 60-second spot for Adidas’ “all in for week 1” campaign carries few words, but fast-changing imagery, workout scenes and explosive pyrotechnics are on display in spades.
“The spot is born from a universal truth that all athletes can relate to: what you did last season doesn’t matter,” notes Zac Ryder, a writer at 180LA, the agency behind the campaign.
The ad, which concludes with a series of massive implosions in a trophy case and on a football field, was shot over the course of four days last month in Los Angeles and Pensacola, Florida, but the story line was set well before the 2012 season ended.
“We knew RG3 would be the centerpiece of the campaign. But at that time, the Redskins were only halfway through the season. No one would have foreseen the way the season ended for him. But Adidas was brave enough to embrace it and let us tell a much more powerful story,” he adds. “The work is way more impactful because of it.”
The Washington Redskins quarterback is featured along with Notre Dame and John Curtis High School doing exercises, routines and training during the off season. Of the three, only John Curtis High School was victorious in the 2012 season, as it took home the national championship.
Oddly enough, the losses end making Adidas’ “blow it all up” message even more resonant.
“Nothing (RG3) did on the field last season matters right now. The only thing he’s focused on is getting ready for week one of next season,” says Ryder. All of the athletes featured in the spot are “approaching next year with a clean slate, regardless of their successes and failures of last season.”
As the campaign expands to social media, RG3 will be featured in short, weekly video challenges encouraging athletes to improve key aspects of their game. Followers will also be able to post videos on their progress, Ryder adds.
“Adidas is hoping to motivate all high school athletes to use their off season to train to get better,” explains Ryder. “The TV spot is meant to start a conversation between Adidas and high school athletes throughout the off season.”
