In early October, US sports media giant ESPN released a new campaign promoting its live game rights to the NHL’s 2022/3 Season called ‘That Is Hockey’.
Hyping the new season and seeking to boost viewing of and subscriptions to the second year of its live league programming, ‘That is Hockey’ features ESPN NHL analyst and hockey legend Mark Messier as the ‘voice of hockey’ and seeks to consolidate ESPN and ESPN+’s position as the ‘home of hockey’.
The hero spot features rising young stars of the game and future hall-of-famers alongside the culture and competitiveness of the game. The spearhead commercial seeks to illustrate that hockey is ‘the best it’s ever been’ and The Walt Disney Company’s sports platforms are the place to catch the action.
ESPN worked on the campaign in tandem with agency Fallon (and the lead video was helmed by Director Jeremy Pettit) and the agency’s brief was ‘to capture the essence and energy of today’s game’.
The campaign broke at ahead of the 7 October start of the hockey season during ESPN’s coverage of Monday Night Football and will continue to run across Disney’s owned and other paid linear and digital platforms in the lead up to and throughout the NHL season.
“After an exhilarating first year back in business with the NHL, we are thrilled to continue our work to engage fans, draw them to our coverage and help grow the game of hockey,” said Disney Networks & ESPN EVP of Commercial Marketing Laura Gentile. “Collaborating with Mark Messier, truly an icon of the game with a face and voice that ‘is’ hockey, strengthens our message that the game has never been better and continues to evolve to captivate fans old and new.”
Fallon Creative Director Charlie Wolff added: “Hockey is a singular sport. And not just because of the ice or the puck or the nuances of the game – it’s singular in its energy. In the way the game makes you feel. With “That is Hockey,” we sought to make ESPN not just the home of hockey, but the arbiter of all those things that make hockey…hockey.”
The campaign was briefed in by and created for an ESPN group which included EVP of Marketing at ESPN & Networks Laura Gentile, EVP & GM of ESPN+ Russell Wolff, VP of Marketing Emeka Ofodile, Director of Marketing Lucas Ferraro, Associate Director of Marketing Thierry Lochard, Marketing Coordinator Maddy Cooper, Executive Director of ESPN+ Marketing Chris Blumberg, Senior Manager of ESPN+ Marketing Simon Barnes, Manager of ESPN+ Marketing Steven Bonalle and Associate of ESPN+ Marketing Ayorinde Iranlowo-Ifatunji.
It was conceived and created by agency Fallon where the team included Chief Executive Officer Rocky Novak, Co-Chief Creative Officers Nikki Baker and Leslie Shaffer, Chief Marketing Officer Niki Dobratz, Creative Director Charlie Wolff, Group Account Director Marion Roussel, Group Account Director Molly Kilduff, Account Manager Victoria Clouse, Art Director Chris Berry, Copywriter Matt Hunziker, Head of Production Erin Simle, Producer Rob Lee and Group Strategy Director Chad Koehnen.
The production studio was Porch House with Director Jeremy Pettit, Executive Producers Cody Autterson and Andrew Schneider, while the editorial studio was The Pub with Editor Carlos Lamas and Executive Producer Amanda Tibbits.
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‘That is Hockey’ marks the second ESPN campaign since it unveiled its seven-year NHL television, streaming and media rights deal at the start of the 2021-2022 season and follows its inaugural ‘All For Hockey’ campaign (which also included a musical theme offshoot in partnership with Justin Bieber).
It also follows on from the sports media company’s comic ‘Lucky Beard Oil’ post-season campaign.
This year’s season started on 11 October with an ESPN doubleheader showcasing a rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference Final with the Tampa Bay Lightning at the New York Rangers and the LA Kings hosting the Vegas Golden Knights.
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