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He has purposely expanded his brand in the area over the last several years, including the launch of Kobe-branded products and a social media site. His connection with Nike has helped in his efforts to become a godlike figure there, and now he’s using his brand to promote another idea:
Hate him.
In the above ad, Bryant pays his farewell to the young ballers in China by offering some words of advice. The soon-to-be-retired vet even helped with the script.
“Together with Nike China and Kobe, our team crafted the script and made sure the film was just as provocative as the man himself,” Terence Leong, creative director of W+K Shanghai, told AdWeek. “It was an intense and uncompromising process because Kobe was just as demanding on the creative team as he was on the Lakers.”
Bryant’s legacy in China will only improve with this ad, although it’s going to be difficult to improve a whole lot. The Lakers legend already has a statue in the country.
