I pulled all of this together right after Cleveland announced their new team name. I like these montages and appreciate the work that goes into these rollouts. In this case they’re doing nothing less than staking out their new identity in front of a multinational audience. It’s no small thing, and worthy of a bit of study.
(And if you think this is nerdy, ask me about the breakdown I used to do with the more effective Super Bowl spots as a classroom exercise.)
Anyway, I let this sit and breathe for a few days. I watched the video again and was pleased with my off-the-cuff impressions. And since I don’t have anything good for you here, please enjoy the new Cleveland Guardians video.
"City on the rise" and "forging into the future from our ironed out past."
You know what's coming, right?
And then a lot of local cultural color: city of fire and water, blue collars, scholars, and roots. pic.twitter.com/C5yWQQ3KYm
— Kenny Smith (@kennysmith) July 23, 2021
You've got specific-instance references. Anyone could figure it out, inferring with a bit of baseball acumen and the matching visuals, but this insider stuff solidifies the third person subjective and possessive.
Now you're leaning in. pic.twitter.com/dMWlInhYlL
— Kenny Smith (@kennysmith) July 23, 2021
As an aside, and a matter of taste: I'll argue all day long that Tom Hanks doesn't get his due for his powers as a voiceover artist. Initially, I thought he was the wrong person for this.
The way he did the last half of that sentence though, that's why he's here. pic.twitter.com/dwrEcndRbw
— Kenny Smith (@kennysmith) July 23, 2021
Now it's fan/city/ballplayer montage. (It's baseball, so more kids, more women and POC representation is happening here. Smart.)
There's one weak line in this stretch, but maybe it works better locally.
It ends with "Together, we are all … "
It really is something. pic.twitter.com/mpFymzDYZ6
— Kenny Smith (@kennysmith) July 23, 2021
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