Paul remembers being a kid walking up and down the street in that ad, and hopes that his trip back to Cleveland for the ad—and Paul’s ensuing story that put a vintage jersey in LeBron James’ hands and helped start an industry-shifting agency empire—will inspire young athletes and creatives alike to believe in their goals each step of the way.
“When you look at Lakeview and Scottwood, I would walk to that corner many days as a kid, playing football in the street led to me playing football on the field,” Paul said. “It led to me falling in love with the sport—playing basketball in backyards of houses on the street, regardless if we had a basketball or if we had a soccer ball that we were using as a basketball, you just wanted to get out and play.”
Game time
With a few years of trial and error behind it, Klutch Athletics felt that this was the right time to release a campaign and create awareness around the brand. Paul said Klutch Athletics’ early years allowed time to build its strategy around women’s and children’s clothing, as well as footwear, and to build Klutch.com, which has only been live for a few months.
Klutch Athletics’ creative partner, Someplace, initially came back with “five or six” different ideas before they, and Paul’s team, landed on this campaign. They found it the most universally relatable, and it was an idea that Paul immediately gravitated toward.
“As a kid, I always watched commercials, and I never thought I would one day produce my own commercial for a brand that I’ve started,” Paul said. “I never get too high or too low about anything, but this is a pretty cool thing—I can’t even deny that—and the fact is going to be a national spot, and it’s even cooler.”
