College football is packed with rich traditions, deep rivalries and electrifying fans. But a three hour tv show that starts at 9am and goes deep into the analysis of X’s and O’s isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. We needed fans to realize that ESPN’s College Gameday was the perfect way to get hyped for a full day of football action.
Our idea was to do a mash up of college football culture, the culture of this iconic show and the culture of…culture! And since everyone knows that asking college kids (in particular) to wake up at 9am is a tall order, we knew we had to give them a variety of clear and compelling calls to action. GET UP!!!
Watch ESPN was one of the first streaming apps offered up by a major entertainment brand. But after a sluggish launch, ESPN came to us for a campaign that would A) drive understanding of the product (what it offers, where to get it, how to use it) B) generate downloads (most people didn’t realize they were already paying for the service) and C) create habitual users.
Through talking to fans and tapping into our personal sports-related traumas, we realized that the most painful thing for an avid sports fan is missing out on an epic, live moment. Following the big game by obsessively refreshing a static website was no way to go through life.
Additionally, the modern world of social media updates and push notifications made it nearly impossible to avoid spoiling the result of a game that you intended to record and watch later. Super fans needed the ability watch the game live, no matter where they were, and ESPN was dedicated to giving them that tool.
Our idea was to position Watch ESPN as THE CLUTCH WAY TO WATCH.
To drive understanding, the structure of our campaign would need to be inherently ‘explain-y’. We landed on a simple black and white illustration style that enabled viewers to focus on the messaging and drew their visual attention to the sports being shown on the various devices. This approach also allowed us to efficiently iterate the campaign, allowing for more bite-sized content that could narrow in on one key USP at a time. Strategically and creatively CLUTCH.
I also made, what might well be, the most expensive (and heaviest) mechanical Lee Corso sign in world history.
You gotta live the brand, baby!
ESPN also tapped us to concept a new trophy for the college football national championship. That was a fun brief to write. My ideas were to make it either a boxing style championship belt or a badass sword that the reigning champs could walk onto the field with, before each game. Maybe they’d stab it into the turf. Ultimately they went with this (which is fine, I guess):
