Your wish is James Harden's command. Or it was, at least, for one day.
Last Thursday marked the culmination of Foot Locker's #PlayMyTweet campaign from BBDO New York. For two weeks prior, the brand had invited consumers to pose challenges to the Houston Rockets star, via Twitter. Foot Locker then printed a selection of the requests onto basketballs, and on October 8th, Harden shot the custom balls during a live event, promising to take on the dares if he missed. "Yodel? Eat a raw onion? Wax my leg? Braid my beard?," Harden suggested in the September 24 call to action.
None of those punishments made the final cut. But Harden did find himself riding a tricycle wearing a clown nose while eating an ice cream cone (a feat all the harder, it seems, given his signature beard)—and more.
A new seven minute video features that scene and other highlights. Those also include Harden reluctantly taking a selfie with a camel (presumably not Geico's Caleb), and singing "I'm a Little Teapot." ESPN anchor Kenny Mayne plays host, and—spoiler alert—gets the kind of punishment you might expect if you crossed an old Nickolodeon game show with Food Network programming and the Ice Bucket Challenge.
It's not Harden's first go-around with the internet for Foot Locker—last fall, he played a game of H-O-R-S-E with the web, trying to match the most gnarly trick shots players could perform (Of partcular note: the hype man's summary of a between-the-legs stunt, circa 2:15).
Here, though, the stakes are higher for Harden. Foot Locker excluded some of the more sadistic propositions (shaving his eyebrows, dunking in high heels), but he still dodges some bullets (namely, wearing a chicken suit for an indeterminate amount of time). Mostly—and unsurprisingly—he's cast as a good sport, honoring a number of requests even when he sinks the ball (What kind of person, let alone superstar, would snub the kid on the sidelines?). The shots themselves, meanwhile, vary in difficulty, including a cruel trick or two, which helps mitigate the perception of staging. And while the proceedings can't but display a certain hammy quality at moments, the whole thing is fun and friendly—with just a small dose of humiliation.
Except, naturally, for Mayne.
CREDITS
Client: Foot Locker
Agency: BBDO New York
Ad: #PlayMyTweet
Chief Creative Officer, Worldwide: David Lubars
Chief Creative Officer, New York: Greg Hahn
Executive Creative Director: Chris Beresford-Hill
Executive Creative Director: Dan Lucey
Art Director: Martins Zelcs
Copywriter: Bryan Stokely
Project Manager: Amy Orgel
Director of Integrated Production: David Rolfe
Associate Director of Digital Production: Joe Croson
Event Producer: Olivia Boutcher
Interactive Producer: Eric Bloom
Projects Lead: Michael Gentile
Director, VP: Janelle Van Wonderen
Account Manager: Nick Robbins
Account Executive: Samuel Henderson
Senior Digital Strategist: Rhys Hillman
Production Company: The Kitchen
Director: Lawrence Chen
DP/1st Cam: Jon Chen
Live Event Editor: Keith Vogelsong
Executive Producer: Renee Haar
Line Producer: Jonathan Hsu
Editorial Company: Mackenzie Cutler
Executive Producer: Sasha Hirschfeld,
Editor: Nick Divers
Music Composition | Cameron Thompkins
