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Buck + Goodby, Silverstein and Partners: “Where Amazing Happens”

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The new “Where Amazing Happens” campaign for the NBA isn’t what you think of when you see Buck in the animating credits. But they definitely deserve props for working hand-in-hand with Goodby, Silverstein and Partners to create a series of understated, mature, clever spots that stand out because they refuse to employ all the played out “urban” clichés that dominate most basketball-related spots.

I especially love how the players’ body parts are used as punctuation or as stand-ins for copy. The whole campaign is kind of an inside joke, a nod to true fans without being condescending or inaccessible to others.

I know a lot of you won’t “get” this—my excitement for this campaign certainly reveals my bias went it comes to the role of writing in advertising—but I urge everyone to check it out with an open mind.

Full credits here

Posted on 28 November 2007 |

  • http://www.monovich.com monovich

    It is hard for me to write this through the tears, but I liked ‘em a lot. Are they perhaps a little sad? It seems almost like a funeral with the music.

    They are hardly mograph, though. I come here for occlusion shaders and sparkly things, not ideas.

  • http://justincone.com justin

    “I come here for occlusion shaders and sparkly things, not ideas.”

    Dude, you just ruined my week. :-)

  • http://www.monovich.com monovich

    awww. you know the truth, though.

  • http://www.weareroyale.com david

    what I’m sorry I fell asleep there, did you say something?

  • http://www.knife-party.net Simon Robson

    Justin, I really don’t see why you feel you have to defend these spots so much. Great writing, strong type setting, classic sports editorial photography. Lovely. And as you say, these spots are in such a contrast to the expected urban mograph shakedown that they’ll certainly grab the audience’s attention. Job done. Just because something is more ‘Eric Clapton’than ‘Eddie Van Halen’doesn’t mean it shouldn’t have it’s place here…

  • http://www.lazymovie.com zeniamai

    wow.. contrary to the heart pounding excitement that the NBA give us, this spot brought tears to my eyes.. A very different approach.. Really brought out the drama amongst the “short shorts”, nose bleeds and sweats…

  • govinda

    Jamie Barrett was writing great ads for Nike when some of the commenters in this thread were in grade school. :) He’s one of the best there’s ever been. Ari Weiss is younger, but got a great start working on Fox Sports for Cliff Freeman in NYC.

    These look like pitch boards brought to life, like they’re the ads that won the account, and then they went live immediately after, with a little help from Buck.

    I’m a huge NBA fan, so I’ve seen these quite a bit already. Much as I respect the creatives involved, I’m not crazy about the ads. For me they’re not Jamie’s best work and certainly not up to the standard of Goodby’s old ‘Welcome to the Show’ ads for Major League Baseball.

  • Marc B.

    Jeebus, so many creatives involved in this? Mmkay.

  • http://www.coroflot.com/public/individual_details.asp?individual_id=143693&sort_by=1& ochyming

    This is neither prose or poetry, this is Music.
    … And in the hands of talented instrumentalist could become a great score.
    Beautiful.

  • http://www.theablecain.com daftcain

    idea > method

    These spots are successful for the concept behind them much more than because of how they were executed.

  • http://www.cmolp.com absolutlahmi

    Very nice sense of restraint throughout, both in concept and execution.
    I think the music is a bit ill-informed though. Subtle ≠ Sad.

  • Jr.canest

    i love the part of the hair…
    without the nice music it would be, well it wouldn’t be good.

  • jamesw_2300

    I like these. Is the music the same used by the 6 year time lapse in the youtube video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6B26asyGKDo). I’m sure you’ve seen this, but from now this music has a very sad feeling to it.

  • http://www.fix.com kmfix

    Personally, I don’t think they needed the animation, other than a camera move.. it all seemed a bit forced…could have been a lot subtler in my very very humble opinion.

    I do like the idea, and the music reminds of the music that was used on one of Renascent’s personal projects that isn’t on his site anymore…