PR Project
2014

I. Client: LeBron James II. Tactics: “Re-Established 2014” Beats by Dre commercial and “LeBron James’ First Home Game” commercial by Sprite a. The first of the two tactics I am covering is the “Re-Established 2014” Beats by Dre Commercial. The significance of this commercial is that it is advertising the new Wireless Beats, but it is telling a story far beyond the product. In my opinion, LeBron James is the product in this commercial and it directly corresponds to LeBron returning back home, not only to Cleveland, but also to his hometown, Akron. The commercial does this in an emotional way as LeBron returns and revisits Akron. It shows him entering his former High School, the basketball court he built, his mother, his old neighborhood, and the court in which he started playing basketball. b. The second tactic I will cover is the “First Home Game” Sprite commercial starring LeBron as well. This commercial also corresponds with LeBron returning home, but it has its own specific message. James makes a major statement throughout the commercial by making the notion that he was driven by his hometown fans more than anyone to return to Cleveland. During the commercial, LeBron states, ““Where does my thirst come from? It comes from here, from these people, because their passion, their love, drives me. They say home is where your heart is. My heart is here, it’s always been. This is my first home game.” What James is saying is that returning home is his first home game and it is just as important as his actual first game with the Cavaliers. At the end of the commercial James arrives at Patterson Park in Akron, Ohio where he once played pick-up basketball. When he made his entrance, there were many members of the community present. According to Ananth Pandian, “Sprite worked with city officials to turn Patterson Park, which hadn’t been updated in more than 20 years, into a blank canvas for New York artist Futura to transform. Once the court was transformed, Sprite held a pickup game and basketball clinic for the community to enjoy” (Fansided Sports Network, 2014).

III. Target Public: Hometown Fans, Cleveland Fans, Friends, and Family a. There is no doubt that in both of these tactics, LeBron James is reaching out to his hometown fans of Akron. Also, he is reaching out to his fans of Cleveland and the whole state of Ohio. This is obvious because both commercials are placed in parts of either Akron or Cleveland. There is even footage in the “Re-Established 2014” of LeBron’s previous home, as well as audio from his mother welcoming him home. During research, I discovered that in the “LeBron James’ First Home Game” commercial, not all of the people present in Patterson Park were aware that LeBron was going to even show up. He literally shocked everyone and showed up to greet his fans and permanently arrive home.

IV. Overall, these two tactics were monumental and moving. The “Re-Established 2014” commercial took the emotional approach and the “LeBron James First Home Game” commercial helped James make a major statement. These tactics had many similarities and they both helped emphasize the big picture that LeBron is returning home for good, but he never forgot. He never disregarded all of those memories created during the beginning of his life and he never denied that the City of Akron molded him into who he is as a person. In my opinion, these tactics helped LeBron explain exactly how he feels to return home and why he chose to do so.

Works Cited
Pandian, A. (2014). VIDEO: LeBron James returns home to Akron is Sprite commercial. Fansided Sports Network. http://friendlybounce.com/2014/10/27/video-lebron-james-returns-home-akron-sprite-commercial/

Commercials:
“Re-Established 2014” by Beats by Dre https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeNIm6SmpHo “LeBron James’ First Home Game” by Sprite
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FGKofNiRzo