THE BRANDING FINALS

It was natural to attach a bit of gravitas to the Beats by Dre spot featuring Draymond Green and Eminem’s “Phenomenal” that aired during Game One of the NBA Finals, four days before the Apple unveiling of…whatever Apple unveils. The new commercial balances out the latest LeBron-starring Beats ad featuring Jidenna’s “Classic Man,” and it appears that no expense has been spared—not that the advertising entities are troubled by any shortage of cash. There are no longer any degrees of separation between Apple/iTunes and the Iovine-Dre- Reznor big three—with Apple and Beats in bed together on their honeymoon—making this a particularly fascinating moment for connoisseurs of branding, and rendering the rollout as dramatic and delectable as the Cavs-Warriors matchup itself.

During the telecast of the game, we encountered commercials for Southpaw (for which Eminem has “curated” the soundtrack, which includes “Phenomenal”), Pixels featuring Anthony Davis and several other movies, along with the obligatory beer and burger ads.

Btw, there’s also a third Beats spot, this one starring the cast of Entourage. You’ll find them all on beatsbydre.com.

Game Two is Sunday at 5pm PDT…and you know what’s scheduled for Monday. Let the branding games continue.