As huge of an advertising juggernaut as the NFL is, commercials starring NFL players often feel interchangeable. Here, though, is a great piece of work from Duracell starring Derrick Coleman, the 23-year-old Seattle Seahawks fullback who happens to the be the first legally deaf player to be part of an NFL offense.
Bravely narrating the ad himself, Coleman tells his own story of being picked on as a kid, being told he could never make it—and being passed over by the NFL draft. "They didn't call my name, told me it was over," he says. "But I've been deaf since I was 3, so I didn't listen." That's a great line. The tagline: "Trust the power within."
Coleman seems enamored with that line. He tells the Sporting News of his Duracell deal: "They came to me, and said they liked my story, and I said OK, I want to join up. I just hope to inspire people, especially children, to trust the power within and achieve their dreams."
Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi, New York.
CREDITS
Client: Duracell
Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi, New York
Executive Creative Director: Peter Moore Smith
Creative Directors: Garrett Jones, Billy Leyhe
Chief Production Officer: Tanya LeSieur
Director of Content Production: John Doris
Senior Producer: Danny Miller
Senior Art Director: Nathan Wigglesworth
Senior Copywriter: Lincoln Boehm
Production Company: Park Pictures, Los Angeles
Director: A.G. Rojas
Director of Photography: Linus Sandgren
Executive Producer: Mary Ann Marino
Line Producer: Gabrielle Yuro
Editing House: Whitehouse Post, Los Angeles
Editor: Shane Reid
Assistant Editor: Keith Hamm
Producer: Jonlyn Williams
Executive Producer: Kristin Branstetter
Sound Design: 740 Sound Design, Los Angeles
Sound Designer, Mixer: Rommel Molina
Executive Producer: Kate Vadnais
End Animation: Mass Market, New York
Executive Producer: Louisa Cartwright