Aims and objectives:-
The aim of this and all other videos that were released for NBA 2K19 was to build up they hype for the games release. The first trailer was arguably the most important as it was released as a surprise to the public and attracted a large amount of people to invest in the new version on the annually released game, which was accomplished by having a legendary basketball player deliver a message to the audience.
Target audience:-
The target audience is not gender specific as the "Come for the Crown" video (the first trailer, featured above) features both men and women going to play the game and get involved. However, the game trailer is more aimed towards basketball fans and players of different abilities because of the use of LeBron James who despite being a recognisable face in the basketball community and across the world, as he's largely regarded as the best player in recent history, is challenging people to prove they can be better than him. This would likely attract basketball fans to prove they can do better than what James had done in his career, albeit in a video game.
Representation:-
There is a wide range of people who are represented in this trailer and all trailers that followed. In the "Come for the Crown" video different people from different backgrounds, genders, faiths, occupations, ages and cultures are represented which shows to the audience that it doesn't matter who you are, you can play the game. However, after the videos and trailers that followed the first trailer don't represent women at all, simply because the game doesn't have female basketball players on it, but it can be argued that this could've been resolved by the videos just shown playing the game. The only female features in the next trailer is a woman that works at one of the games stores and that's only in a small section of the video (below). No real stereotypes have been used in this trailer, and the lack of representation in trailers after the first one is due to the games limitations not necessarily the marketing of the game.
Key message:-
The main message is that people should get the game and prove that they can be better than a living legend. The message is shown in very simple terms as LeBron James challenges the camera - and therefore the viewer of the video - to a game of one-on-one and to prove to him that there's at least one person who's better than him.
Choice of media:-
A video was by far the best way for 2K Sports and Visual Concepts Entertainment to reach the masses and specifically their target audience. This is because in their latest games, there has been a feature called 2K TV which allows users to watch exclusive interviews and 30 minute shows with real players and also has an interactive live quiz show every week. This feature allowed to put all the trailers on early release on 2K TV before uploading it to YouTube because they knew that their target audience was currently playing the game and just had to convince them to purchase the new game rather than having to make them search for the new trailer. This meant that the target audience was already interested and engaged in the new game, interested in purchasing the product and could spread the news to friends in various ways like social media.
Legal and ethical:- - use copyright, intellectual property rights, slander/libel, model release, royalties, violence, offensive language/behaviour/material, public interest.
Fortunately, 2K has the rights and permission to use the designs and properties of major brands such as Nike, Adidas, Foot Locker, Gatorade etc as part of their deal to represent and show the professional basketball teams in America, primarily in the NBA and G-League as those are the brands that appear in the videos. There is little chance for slander as all comments made in the trailers is about the game itself rather than about any individual products or companies. The age rating for the game has also been included at the beginning in each of the videos, but as it's an American trailer as that's where their target audience is more prominent, there is an "E" rating to represent its suitable for "Everyone" to ensure that as many people as possible know what ages the game is suitable for.
Considering that this was originally released in the US, it's more likely to have been regulated by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) initially then by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) when it was to be shown in the UK. The ASA ensure that all advertising complies to the advertising rules and regulations set.
Call to action:- There is a important use of the soundtrack to create a feeling of tension and suspense because of the low-fi and creepy sound accompanied with the occasional odd beat/sound but still manages to have a strong sense of a hip-hop feel with the beat as all the NBA 2K games are known for. The Soundtrack goes from an eerie sound to a real up-tempo hip hop inspired beat which speeds up as the video gets closer to it's climax, and once the climax is reached, the music completely stops and the only thing that can be heard is the message from LeBron James.
