Brands fly the 'W' to mark the Cubs' historic win

Advertisers love the Cubs.
 By 
Patrick Kulp
 on 
Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

The Chicago Cubs' losing streak has earned them a special place in America's heart.

So it's no surprise that a host of advertisers seized on their historic win Wednesday night as a chance to showcase everyone's favorite lovable (former) losers.

One of the most moving efforts came from Nike, which featured a red-and-blue-clad kid dreaming of big-league adulation in a Chicago park.


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But Willie Nelson's melancholy ballad "Someday"-- superimposed with audio from the game's pivotal moment -- brought the real emotional power.

"Goodbye Someday," the closing tagline reads.

ESPN's SportsCenter took a more low-key tack. In its ad, network personality Jay Harris updates a simple workplace-accident counter from "108" to "0" -- a reference to the number of years since the team's last championship.

Budweiser rushed out a touching tribute to late legendary sportscaster Harry Caray with his enthusiasm set against cheering fans.

Red Bull brought the laughs with a quirky tale of Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant befriending a goat -- the animal Cubs lore considers the, well, scapegoat behind its curse.

Another of the energy drink maker's ads had Bryant flying with angel wings over Cleveland Indians fans and the goat.

Gatorade celebrated with a set of branded cups placed to form one of Wrigley Field's iconic "W" flags next to an empty cooler.

M&M's pulled a similar stunt with its colored candy.

Adidas made a profane declaration about sports curses with an assist from a mean-mugging Bryant. The typically high-minded slogan: "Creators break curses."

Meanwhile, Motorola went with a ragged baseball tagged with its logo spinning in front of a fireworks show.

Elsewhere on Twitter, plenty of brands tipped their hats to the team with nods to the "Windy City."

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Patrick Kulp

Patrick Kulp is a Business Reporter at Mashable. Patrick covers digital advertising, online retail and the future of work. A graduate of UC Santa Barbara with a degree in political science and economics, he previously worked at the Pacific Coast Business Times.

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