Car taillights turn into a blur on the freeway. Andre Drummond dribbles a basketball that you can’t hear bounce. A voice speaks with a slow piano tune settling in the background. “Detroit — it’s a big word. To outsiders, it’s an uncertain word. But to us, it’s our word. We know that Detroit isn’t just a place. It’s an attitude.”
This opening kicked off the Detroit Pistons new ad campaign released on Thursday, further stating that this era of the franchise wants to return to the principles that brought it success. Those building blocks are rooted in toughness, gritty play, and teamwork.
Deeeeee-troit basketball (in Mason's voice)! http://t.co/VmtgP9pwHT
— Jalen Rose (@JalenRose) September 10, 2015
The video is shot showing areas of Detroit like I-94, the Spirit of Detroit, and neighborhood basketball courts while Piston footage from the past intervenes. Citizens of Detroit and Piston greats of yesterday and tomorrow like Isiah Thomas both make appearances, showing the team’s remembrance of how it got championships and for who they’re playing for today.
Although the ad is sleek, shiny, and delicate, it says that Detroit, and therefore the Pistons, aren’t. Instead, words like solid, sturdy, and unbreakable are used. The words are more fitting, paying homage to a city the Pistons precede their name with, but where they don’t necessarily reside. Still the Pistons call Detroit home, and the Pistons are ready for Detroit and the whole state of Michigan to call them their team.
There were many times before where the Pistons dominated conversation, sold out nearly every game, and were an inspiration when times were tough. This ad is an attempt to stake that place atop every Michigan sports fan’s heart.
As the ad states, “From Midtown to Warren, from Dearborn to Birmingham (and even Auburn Hills), our spirit is Detroit. And our team is the Pistons.”
The sequence ends with the current roster looking like they mean business, furthering the toughness mantra by filming on location where they went through UFC training with MMA professionals. Their t-shirts read “Detroit Grind.”
With new ownership, coaches, and a revamped roster all acquired in the last handful of years, the Pistons are starting anew. Looking back on the play styles of the late-80s and mid-2000s may help the team with a “work harder than anyone else” mentality. But with this new team, this ad has a take away message, speaking to fans of Detroit as a city and for the Pistons as a team.
“Detroit’s not going anywhere. We’re here to stay.”
Next: Detroit Pistons Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is putting his money where his mouth is