In 2005, Lebron James was in his 3rd season with the Cleveland Cavaliers, quickly making a name for himself, earning several impressive accolades including Rookie of the Year and All-NBA First Team. Not to mention, he was the number one overall pick in the NBA draft back in 2003. Nike’s Witness campaign, released in 2005, was centered on James. He would go on to complete 6 seasons with the Cavaliers then transfer to the Miami Heat for an additional four seasons before returning home to the Cavs in 2014 where he currently plays today. Along the way he would pick up 3 NBA titles, 4 regular season MVPs, 10 All-NBA First Team Honors, and several other awards. Flashback to 2005, before his career really took off. He was on the edge of glory, on the precipice of greatness, and that’s what the Witness campaign is about; James’ ascent had only begun and we are all here to watch.
Lebron wasn’t just a really good basketball player, he was a hometown hero, growing up in Akron, Ohio just 45 minutes from Cleveland. James was drafted right out of high school with no college ball experience. Regardless, he was still one of the most sought after player in NBA draft history. The Cavalier’s program had been struggling for the past 10 years, and the signing of a number one draft pick sent a breath of life into the team. Especially, when James, a rookie with basically no experience, was able to make an impact so quickly. James was the way to Cavalier success. He was a source of hope for fans and Nike knew it. Lebron’s rise thus far was reminiscent of a fairytale and the rhetoric in the bottom left corner,” Believe at Nikebasketball.com” hints at his Cinderella story. While the slogan mostly functions as a call to action it also plays on the hope Lebron has brought. The word “believe” functions as vehicle to transport Lebron from human to hero.
Moving on to the ad itself, this specific image is especially dramatic because of the black background and simplistic design. The juxtaposition of the white text also works to draw the viewer in. There is a large amount of negative space that aims to focus the viewer in on the few elements of image that are present. In this case, it’s James’ outstretched arms and the short text, “We are all witnesses.” The viewer is forced to savor and think about the meaning of the image which in this instance is the imminent rise of Lebron James . Additionally, the form of the image is very organic. There is not much engineering that went into the design, it is very natural. Just the short, small piece of text and the picture of Lebron. The upward tilt of James’ arms causes the eye to bounce back and forth between the text and the image itself. The camera angle also positions the viewer below James as if we are looking up towards him, asserting his dominance and his larger than life persona over the audience. Furthermore, this pose of Lebron is a signature. Before every game he plays, James will rub chalk on his hands and throw it up into the air to signify that he is ready to begin the game. This pregame ritual is a staple of James’. Many fans now talk about it as a tether from his rookie days to now. Choosing this pose to represent James was no accident.
If the law of thirds is applied to this ad, one will see that Lebron’s body and text fit directly in the center and his arms follow along the bottom horizontal line. Having both the image of James and the text are centered draw the viewers eyes straight in. While centering is normally frowned upon it functions well here. Without centering, the ad would lose a lot of its impact. The lack of color is an additional attention grabber. The use of only black and white causes this ad would stand out against almost any background.
Lebron James’ story is one of storybooks, an ascent from the bottom to the top. He had already proved himself to be one to watch, but this ad put it into words, literally. Not only does this ad work figuratively by using Lebron’s signature pose and the slogan rhetoric, it works technically, with negative space and camera angles, to convince the viewer of the hero that James is and will be.
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