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Natalie Edwards Professor Allen Semiotics of Pop Culture Semiotic Analysis #8 8 April 2015

LeBron James – PowerAde 1 Hour Workout

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQWmRIHavC8

Signifier: The signifier would be identified as PowerAde Zero Drops, a low calorie sports drink flavor enhancer and product of Coca-Cola.

Signified: The overall concept of the advertisement would be an interactive digital campaign featuring NBA player Lebron James. The ad is encouraging and promoting proper exercise techniques for players.

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Image: This 2013 digital campaign shows NBA superstar LeBron James demonstrating his workout routine and use of PowerAde products in a series of videos. The copy and overall message of the campaign would be “Got what it takes to keep up?” The campaign is questioning whether or not one can keep up with LeBron and do what it takes, physically, to become an outstanding athlete and winner. As the video begins and LeBron is about to start his workout, he explains that “there is no shortcut to greatness”, meaning that an athlete should push himself or herself in order to see results.

Denotation: At the denotative level, this interactive campaign can be found on PowerAde’s website and on LeBronTime.com, which is a custom YouTube channel created by

PowerAde that featured an uninterrupted 1 hour workout session with LeBron. This video gives people the opportunity to watch and receive tips and insights on how to become a better athlete with LeBron’s specific workout routine. The 60 minutes is broken up into 40 different stages. Each stage is a different type of exercise: running, jump shots, free throws, and more.

Connotation: Through this campaign, PowerAde and LeBron James are showing concern for today’s aspiring athletes who are looking to prepare and get in better shape with

LeBron’s customized workout plan. It is very thoughtful for LeBron to share his way of training because it shows that he wants to contribute to all of the athletes out there who want to improve and become as skillful and successful as he is.

Symbol: LeBron James symbolizes power and status within the National Basketball

Association. His power and athleticism helped earn him many championships and MVP

3 awards. This PowerAde campaign helps LeBron showcase his athletic abilities and allows him to be a helpful and positive role model for athletes and sports fans.

Icon: Within the past decade, LeBron James has been viewed as an icon for his performance on the basketball court and for his representation of iconic brands, such as

Coca-Cola and Nike. In 2003, 18-year-old LeBron signed an endorsement deal with Coca-

Cola’s PowerAde and Sprite brands. James was considered the perfect and “key spokesperson” for these youthful brands due to the fact that he was a newly introduced phenom in the NBA.

Jingoism: Despite his decisions to leave certain teams because of his will to win, LeBron has a relatively large fan base. Also, most people are supportive of Coca-Cola’s decision to have LeBron as their spokesperson. This particular interactive advertising campaign is helpful and useful for LeBron’s fans to become more skillful at basketball. LeBron’s videos drew attention and hype because they were easy to access and were insightful for people who strove to become better athletes.

Interpellation: PowerAde most likely created this interactive digital campaign with the intentions of reaching millenials who are familiar with both technology and social media.

This campaign strikes interest among a younger audience because they favor digital platforms and it features one of their favorite athletes. The ad showcases PowerAde’s Zero

Drops and explains how one bottle of PowerAde can enhance athletic ability along with

LeBron’s specific workout. Coca-Cola is responsible for this campaigns success; reaching a

4 younger audience and helping athletes improve their performance by following LeBron’s method of training.

Intertextuality: Many people compare LeBron James to , due to their remarkable talent and skill on the basketball court. This ad campaign is about LeBron sharing his workout tips with people so that they can be like him. This ad and idea can be compared to former athlete Michael Jordan by how everyone wanted to be “”.

Also, people often compare PowerAde’s brand of sports drink to that of ’s brand.

The two brands are different and distinct though, due to their taste and people who endorsed them. LeBron was a spokesperson for PowerAde and Michael Jordan represented

Gatorade.