Baseball’s going to have an awfully big void to fill next year, as “The Captain,” Derek Jeter, is leaving the New York Yankees after this season. It’s an iconic career that’s worth celebrating – as Nike did earlier this year with its star-studded “Captain” ad – and now Gatorade has taken its turn in tributing the legendary player.
A new 90-second ad featuring Jeter taking a leisurely walk to the ballpark for the last time, and greeting various fans and others in the process, was released on YouTube before the weekend, and has already managed to garner over two million views in the process. You can watch it in its entirety below, set to the tune of Frank Sinatra’s “My Way.”
With over 10,000 likes (and a few dislikes from Boston Red Sox fans, obviously), the video has become a big hit – and a fine tribute to the departing Jeter.
What’s great about the ad is that, for a Gatorade ad, it focuses more on the player than the brand. In fact, save for the last two seconds of the commercial, it doesn’t even show any hint of Gatorade whatsoever.
Throughout the 90-second clip, Jeter greets a variety of people, including kids on the street, a general manager of a local bar called Stan’s (in which Jeter happily leaves an autograph on a nearby picture), an artist’s mural and more. Like always, he takes it in stride, with a smile on his face.
And of course, the ad concludes with him standing in Yankee Stadium, tipping his hat to the crowd for a final time.
YouTube won’t be the only spot it airs, either, as it aired this past weekend on the YES Network and Fox. As far as filming for it goes, Gatorade simply “roped off a few blocks before a home game in the Bronx this July and ‘just kind of let Jeter go’,” said Molly Carter, Gatorade’s senior director of consumer engagement. The video ads, combined with a print campaign, were a “true collaboration between Derek and Gatorade.”
At a time when sports sponsorships are in question, it’s good to see some companies can stay true to the topic.
Happy retirement, Mr. Jeter.
Source: Mediapost
