gaming

Kobe Bryant Stars In 2K Sports' Campaign

NBA 2K10 Mamba vs Pooh

 

A new campaign for 2K Sports' NBA 2K10 stars Los Angeles Lakers phenomenon Kobe Bryant, who was named most valuable player in the 2009 NBA Finals.

Created by Los Angeles-based 72andSunny and Zambezi, the integrated marketing effort is themed "How Will You Take Over?" and includes TV, print, outdoor and online ads, content films and a Facebook application.

The video game company has never worked with Bryant before, 72andSunny Brand Director Evin Shutt tells Marketing Daily, and "the deal [with Bryant] is only for NBA 2K10."

The campaign targets a youth audience and takes the position that "it is far more effective to provoke than sell," says 72andSunny Partner and Creative Director Glenn Cole. The campaign speaks to the imaginary NBA player in all of us, he adds.

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TV spots, which run through the end of October, feature motion capture computer-generated imagery courtesy of the Los Angeles office of Psyop, as well as a high-energy soundtrack.

Print ads are running until the end of November in XXL, ESPN the Magazine, Dime, Slam, Bounce and Complex.

Outdoor and street posters are appearing in Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco through the end of October.

The online campaign, which also runs through the end of October, includes three content films that feature Bryant, Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls, and G4 host Chris Hartwick doing something all gamers are familiar with: talking a lot of smack.

In one of the online films, "Mamba vs. Pooh," Bryant and Rose are arguing over whose video game namesake is the better player. After a number of jabs back and forth, Rose says his player is better because he's called Derrick Rose. Bryant responds that his player is better because he has four rings. Rose is left speechless.

"72andSunny and Zambezi helped us effectively utilize Kobe's star talents across every media platform for NBA 2K10," says Jason Argent, 2KSports vice president of marketing, in a statement. "They really ensured that our investment will pay off by creating content that we know our audience is going to want to see and share."

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