ESPN Deportes Debuts First 'SportsCenter' Campaign

'Sports Expert' Theme Features Soccer Star Messi, Boxer Marquez, Goalie Perez

Mike Reynolds -- Multichannel News, 8/11/2009 12:22:45 PM

ESPN Deportes has launched its initial SportsCenter ad campaign, centering on the theme of the "sports expert."
The multimedia campaign, features such notables as soccer star Lionel Messi, as well as such other Latin stars as Mexican professional boxer Juan Manuel Márquez, professional soccer goalkeeper Oscar ‘El Conejo' Pérez, Colombian actor Andrés Palacio and Mexican rock band Molotov.
The campaign focuses on connecting the brand with the consumers through four initial TV spots, each featuring a different Latin star, in which each showcases their vast sports knowledge. The initiative depicts the athletes, celebrities and average fans alike to present themselves as overall ‘sports experts' because they watch SportsCenter.
The campaign, which will be in play for the next month, encompasses TV, radio, print, out of home and online executions.
Created by Hispanic agency, LatinWorks, it premiered with Palacio sharing his sports knowledge with a young boy while barbequing. During the second week, Messi answers a sports crossword as he waits for a table in a restaurant. In week three, Molotov shares their sports knowledge with friends while playing pool, while the fourth week will feature the Mexican boxer Márquez and goalkeeper Perez discuss the sports world as they play Wii.
"We are excited to launch the first in-language SportsCenter ad campaign on ESPN Deportes," said Maribel Viteri, marketing director for ESPN Deportes, in a statement. "This campaign delivers the network's commitment to provide Hispanic sports fans the best news and information on their favorite shows. Our strategy with this campaign is to consistently deliver the message that SportsCenter is the single destination for those who want to be in the daily sports conversation thus becoming sports experts themselves."