11.01.2005

Stupid ads? Blame the Japanese...

Converse, the recently-bankrupt shoemaker now owned by Nike, has launched a campaign centered around Miami Heat star Dwyane (yes, Dwyane) Wade. In one TV spot, we see consecutive clips of Wade getting knocked to the floor during assorted high school, college, and professional basketball games.

The closing tagline, printed across a black screen: "Fall seven times, stand up eight."

Leaving aside for a moment the unorthodox (dare I say retarded) spelling of Wade's first name, for which Converse surely cannot be held responsible, what exactly is that tagline supposed to mean?

It's hard to fault the idea that when knocked down, the admirable thing to do is get back up again. But the mind becomes fevered trying to figure out how to stand up eight times after falling seven.

If I fall down, I'm limited to a single, miserable episode of standing up. I guess that's why Dwyane is in the NBA making millions, and I play softball with fat guys and make somewhat less than that. Heck, I bet on a good day, Dwyane could fall seven times and stand up thirty-eight.

Anyway, it wasn't Nike/Converse or its admen who came up with this glorious bit of wisdom. No, for something this good, they had to rip it off from the Japanese...

1 comment:

cola said...

Stupid point of view.

Happy Super Tuesday!