Umbro had recently launched its ‘Velocita’ boots, which it believes should give nimble-footed players the edge they need in situations, which require quick feet.
The boots were developed at the prestigious Loughborough University in the UK and weighs a mere 165 grams.
Apart from being one of the lightest boots on the market, comfort was one of its signifying elements of the boot. Internal padding around the Achilles area offers a snug fit and protection and the external heel counter is made of tough yet flexible Pebax® material.
However, the commercial below revolving around the #Gloryforall campaign did not do the Velocita any justice, as it gives the shoe a sense of anything but light. While the cracks on the ground as the player dribbles would suggest to a viewer that its heavy and the thought of a Mario bros like simulation, where his opponents get ‘burnt’ aims at capitalising on the gaming fad of a teen that would be interested in the sport.
Dave Bell, creative director at KesselsKramer, said: “This kind of communication is quite a departure for Umbro, and so is the boot: their fastest and lightest. It also looks very different to the boot you might expect from Umbro.
“We wanted to go very much over the top with our visuals, but in a tongue in cheek way. Our starting point was all the great footballing Photoshopped memes out there, with the likes of Balotelli wielding light sabres and so forth.
“We couldn’t compete with the other football brands on budget so we thought we’d go that way with out SFX.”
Though it did a good job of focusing on the grassroots player in a thoughtful move away from celebrity endorsements, it could have been a bit more human. When it comes to advertising football cleats, the more human the brand can keep it, the better it manages to communicate the significant USP’s of the shoe.
The Umbro Velocita’s should retail for about $210 or approximately around AED/SAR 775 in stores.
