Chevy - Mo'Ne Davis - (2014) 1:00 (USA)

"I throw 70 miles an hour. That's throwing like a girl."
Great spot for Chevy's Baseball sponsorship featuring Philadelphia's 13 year old baseball wunderkind, Mo'Ne Davis-- the first girl to pitch a shutout in Little League World Series History. Fantastic way to honor the game, to remind us that all of us can excel in this life, and celebrate Mo'Ne in an authentic way.
The ad treats her as a phenomenon-- and also as a regular thirteen year old girl. She reads an open letter to the United States of America, and signs off with, "Your Daughter, Mo'Ne Davis." While that's a bit clunky, I know Chevrolet has always had America as part of its brand DNA so it does make a certain sense to bring that in a bit.
The VO is perfect because it's not polished or overly dramatic. She reads it in her voice. Even if someone else might have written it, it comes across as being direct and honest. While Chevy comes in to remind us they celebrate "those who remind us anything is possible," at the end, that sign off is done with taste. In other words, they didn't try to shove a gratuitous product shot in to the spot. It's a heart-warming sponsorship spot, a tribute to a 13 year old girl, from a brand that knew when to put the spotlight on someone other than its own logo.
For that alone it's a huge--achievement.
You didn't really think I was going to end this by saying it's "a home run," did you? Puh-lease.

Client: Chevrolet
Director: Spike Lee