In February this year, Fox News host Laura Ingraham used her show “The Ingraham Angle” to criticise NBA player LeBron James for talking politics, serving him with her tagline “Shut up and dribble”.
'Shut up and dribble' — Fox News's Laura Ingraham to LeBron and Kevin Durant after their criticism of President Trump pic.twitter.com/0BlokQDIIl
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) February 16, 2018
James, whose net worth is estimated at US$450 million, took the line and turned it into the title of a new documentary series that he has produced with Showtime about basketball’s historic links with political activism, which aired this month.
Now James and Nike, who signed a lifetime deal together in 2015 that was thought to be the first contract of its kind in the brand’s history, have released their latest campaign in China also riffing on Ingraham’s comment with a series of OOH ads called ‘DRIBBLE &_____’. The ads were produced by Wieden+Kennedy Shanghai.
The ads appear in Shanghai, Beijing, Nanjing, Chengdu, Harbin, Tianjin, Hangzhou, Chongqing and Suzhou, and the slogan is also being marketed on shirts, which can be personalised by filling in the blank as the wearer likes.
Nike GC VP Marketing: Steve Tsoi
Nike GC Senior Creative Director: Simon LeeNike GC Brand Communications Director: Che Lin
Nike GC Brand Communications Manager: Michael ChienWieden+Kennedy Shanghai
Executive Creative Director: Ian Toombs, Vivian YongCreative Directors: Matt Skibiak, Dong Hao
Art Director: Zhong HowCopywriter: Matt Meszaros
Head of Integrated Production: Sanne DrogtropProducer: Angela Liu
Senior Planner: Leon LinBusiness Director: Dino Xu
Account Manager: Shawn KaiAccount Executive: Max Ma
Business Affairs: Jessica Deng, Kathy ZhanHead of Designers: Fish Ho
Designer: Moon Qi, He Fan