Apr 12, 2011

Rend(er) It Like Beckham

A YouTube Video popped up on my radar in the last few days.

First, take a look for yourself.



Here, we see international football star and former England captain, David Beckham, having several highly skillful pot shots with some soccer balls on a beach in Los Angeles. Beckham spends time in LA as he is signed to the LA Galaxy team in Major League Soccer.

So what exactly is this 69 second viral video all about? I had to watch it a few times before I figured out where the product placement was.

It's not the soccer balls. There's a few different brands there.

It isn't the clothing he's wearing...

Or the beach he's at...

Straw deal?

It's the can of Diet Pepsi in his hand - which he sips at before and after taking those "amazing" kicks.

A few points arising from this:
  • Who drinks a can of Diet Pepsi with a straw?
  • Who comes to the beach with three soccer balls?
  • Is Beckham really that good?

I can't answer the first two questions definitively. But as to the third, it is quite obvious that some visual effects or CGI is being deployed here. If Beckham really was that talented, even at his career peak, he would have booted England to successive World Cup victories off his own (bare)foot!

But neither he (nor England) are that good.

Beckham sweats over the "Latina Heat"

Apparently, Beckham was on the LA beach filming a TV ad spot for Diet Pepsi's new skinny cans with Modern Family star, Sofia Vergara. Diet Pepsi, under the stewardship of ad agency TBWA\Chiat\Day, decided to shoot this viral video component and add it to their campaign.

It's yet to be seen whether this viral video attempt will generate any buzz (and I realize I'm raising its profile by talking about it here), or if this film will die in the can.

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