Budweiser hit a home run with its tribute to legendary baseball player and activist Jackie Robinson, with a moving film by director Spike Lee.
Budweiser and the Jackie Robinson Foundation wanted to make sure that, in a year that marks Robinson’s 100th birthday, the world does not forget his legacy. The short film, ‘Impact,’ marks the moment Robinson walked onto Ebbets Field as a Brooklyn Dodger on April 15, 1947, becoming an everlasting figure in American history as the first player to break the color barrier in Major League Baseball.
The three-minute effort is directed by Lee and narrated by Robinson’s daughter, Sharon Robinson. It uses footage of Robinson plus the original announcement by Red Barber, along with recreations of people cheering his achievement in a New York tavern with Budweisers in hand.
The film appeared nationally in a 60-second airing on Major League Baseball’s opening day.
‘Impact’ is also a season-long campaign that spotlights the heroic achievements of Robinson both on and off the field. The campaign includes out-of-home placements and special edition bottles that will help raise money for the Jackie Robinson Museum, which the brand pledges to help open in New York this year.
For its adept direction by Lee, and its honoring of an American icon, The Drum’s readers voted the campaign the US Creative Work of the Week.
Budweiser continued to honor Robinson this week with another commercial.
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