A few weeks ago, TSB got an early look at DICK’S Sporting Goods new ad campaign run by Anomaly. With opening day right around the corner, what better way to get customers into your store for new baseball equipment than with a one minute, ultra HD, slow-mo masterpiece?
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DICK’S unleashed this new commercial a few weeks ago along with a new YouTube series called “The Craft”. This ad campaign really hits home with the serious athlete…and the ones that spend the money.
The new commercial is called “Every Pitch” and features current Texas Rangers pitching prospect Cody Buckel. It’s been airing during the World Baseball Classic, on ESPN, Fox Sports, and other networks. The commercial captures the suspense of “Every Pitch” with one continuous goosebump-inducing shot sequence that shows each position on the diamond preparing for one pitch, and ends on the monumental delivery from the mound to the plate.
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fter seeing the ad we asked Cody, “What was it about Dick’s Sporting Goods that made you want to team up with them on this project?”
“DICK’S Sporting Goods was a place I went to constantly growing up: I bought multiple gloves there, cleats, bats, golf equipment, running shoes, and many other things. When I was given the opportunity to audition for their ad and knowing baseball was the focus, it was a no brainer for me to go out and give it a shot! I was really excited when I got the part not only because it was my first commercial, but I was doing it for a company that had been a big part in the early stages of my career in baseball.”
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As a former high school pitcher and infielder, I could remember all of these things going on in my head during the commercial. But I always wondered if everyone else on the field was thinking what I was thinking. Although I wasn’t the most physically gifted athlete, I always took pride in knowing the situation and what to do depending on where the ball was hit. The commercial was essentially my entire thought process between every pitch. Being able to see it put together like this was incredible.
“The Craft…behind baseball’s best equipment”, is another part of DICK’S ad campaign that Anomaly helps knock out of the park. Their first installment is for bat maker DeMarini. Since 1989, DeMarini Sports USA has been making baseball bats at the highest level in the world…in one single location in Hillsboro, OR. Take a look at their behind the scenes video.
The video features Matt Hendryx, who is the Product Manager for DeMarini. What first drew me into this video was the fantastic music. So we asked Anomaly “What was the purpose of the video, and was that music chosen to generate more “street cred”?
“We found the fact that they are a company led by baseball players to be incredibly compelling. The same people who design the bats, test the bats. They come to work every day with only baseball on their mind. The video is an incredibly accurate portrayal of their process. Add the fact that every aspect of their process takes place in one location and you can start to understand why we executed the film the way we did. We wanted viewers to see it and feel it rather than think about it. When we were shooting in their batting cage, the DeMarini crew started playing music we felt played incredibly well against the pictures we were shooting. Inspired by that experience we worked to compose a piece that was true to the music they actually listen to while testing the bats. It is a great representation of their aesthetic and overall approach.”
The second installment was for a bit of an older company. You may have heard of Louisville, the makers of the most recognizable baseball bat in the world, The Louisville Slugger. Since 1894, Louisville Slugger has been producing some of the highest quality baseball bats in the world. Baseball legends like Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, and Lou Gehrig all swung sluggers.
Again, loved the music in this video. If you could “smell” the music, it would smell like Kentucky. The twang of the opening guitar just reeked of bluegrass. But when the baseball player got out of his car, I was like “WHAT THE HECK IS BEN REVERE DOING IN THIS VIDEO!?!?!?”
So I asked Anomaly, “Why was the player chosen in the video, Ben Revere? When you think about Louisville Slugger, you don’t think stolen bases, you think mammoth home runs.”
“Ben Revere actually grew up in Lexington, Kentucky, and as a kid took the tour of the Louisville Slugger factory. He has a deep connection to that brand and everything it stands for. We thought there was something very sweet in the idea that Ben had been inspired in this factory as a young baseball player, and now has his own signature model. For us, that detail trumped everything else”
I don’t think there could have been a better answer than that. A kid walks into a factory and sees where the tools of his future trade are made, and then gets to hand-pick those tools when his dreams come true. Just awesome.
Special thanks to DICK’S Sporting Goods, Cody Buckel, Anomaly, DeMarini and Louisville.
