ESPN CreativeWorks Bolsters Branded Content and Ad Sales on All Platforms

Launched in 2010 by ESPN39s Customer Marketing and Sales Group ESPN CreativeWorks wasamp160aamp160unit dedicated toamp160developing custom cobranded and clientbranded creative across all screens and devices specifically targeted to sports fans and ESPN39s audienceamp160Butamp160inamp160Juneamp1602016amp160ESPN CreativeWorksamp160brought responsibilities for brand marketing under itsamp160roofamp160asamp160a means to more closely align its brand and ad sales marketing teamsquotWe combined the consumer marketing creative services team with the creative works team that lives in ad salesquot said Sean Hanrahanamp160Senior Vice President ofamp160Brand andamp160Marketing Solutions quotIamp160thinkamp160it39samp160aamp160firstamp160for a media company where we39veamp160takenamp160the consumer marketing group andamp160ad salesamp160and broughtamp160them together in a meaningful wayquotThatamp160meansamp160CreativeWorksamp160worksamp160withamp160suchamp160clients asamp160Home Depot Chevrolet andamp160Arby39samp160onamp160campaignsamp160andamp160brandedamp160contentamp160as well asamp160forgingamp160promotional fare foramp160ESPNamp160properties including This is SportsCenteramp160Monday Night Footballamp160and the College Football Playoff CFPFrom a promotional perspective ESPNamp160at timesamp160still taps into the resources of outside agencies likeamp16072andSunny andamp160Weidenamp160 Kennedy whichamp160is in its third year of amp8220Whoamp8217s Inamp8221 the thematic umbrella campaign that supports the collegiate gridiron playoff whose semifinals are set for Dec 31Along the way ESPN CreativeWorks has also supplemented those efforts building on spots foramp160various CFPamp160sponsors includingamp160Dr Pepper andamp160its famed vendoramp160Larry Culpepperamp160quotI wish we could take credit for Larry Culpepper Dr Pepper came up with quite a characterquot said Hanrahan who noted that ESPN CreativeWorksamp160builtamp160spots that featuredamp160ESPNamp160onairamp160amp160collegeamp160footballamp160talent like Jesse Palmeramp160pictured below left with Culpepperamp160and Joe TessitoreMost recently ESPN CreativeWorks has riffed offamp160another Walt Disney Coamp160propertyamp160ABC39samp160politicalamp160thriller Designated Survivoramp160byamp160creatingamp160individualamp160posters featuring the coaches from the four semifinalists and copy saying for instanceamp160quotClemson isamp160amp160a Designatedamp160Survivorquotamp160and inserting them intoamp160socialamp160mediaquotThe winner of theamp160College Football Playoffquotamp160Hanrahan explained quotwill be a designated survivorquotamp160Carrie Brzezinski whoamp160heads the daytoday operationamp160ofamp160ESPN CreativeWorksamp160said the groupamp160had about 40 members working on theamp160adamp160sales side before more than doubling its roster toamp160upward of 90 with the addition of the consumer marketing personnelamp160quotWhen it started in 2010 with Sean itamp160was about comarketingquot said Brzezinski the Vice President of Marketing Solution atamp160ESPN CreativeWorksamp160quotThere was a lot ofamp160work doneamp160under umbrella sponsorshipsamp160likeamp160withamp160Home Depotquot She noted the chainamp160wasamp160alreadyamp160aamp160sponsoramp160of preview showamp160Collegeamp160GameDayamp160 ESPN CreativeWorksamp160beganamp160generatingamp160spotsamp160and campaignsamp160to amplify thatamp160relationshipamp160amp160quotThatamp8217s still a big chunk of the work we doquot she saidBrzezinski explained thatamp160ESPN CreativeWorksamp160teamsamp160closely with ad salesamp160members in identifying opportunities whether that means reacting to aamp160request for proposalamp160proactively pitching an account or looking to expand a budget Onceamp160aamp160client agrees she saidamp160quotItamp8217s a fairlyamp160typical processquotamp160including briefings withamp160suchamp160stakeholdersamp160as the sponsor39samp160media and creative agenciesRelationships and interactionamp160canamp160varyamp160Brzezinskiamp160said that if a client isamp160spending a lot of moneyamp160in sports that quotlands withamp160ESPNamp160thenamp160we become a significant agencyamp160of theirs They may not even engage us with the agencyamp160thatamp160does their general campaignquotamp160 Conversely if the campaign isamp160quotan amplification ofamp160somethingamp160aamp160creativeamp160agencyamp160is already doingamp160in theamp160generalamp160marketamp160or outside ofamp160sportsamp160thenamp160weamp160will engageamp160with theamp160agencyamp160soamp160weamp160canamp160understandamp160the real intent of thatamp160campaign Thenamp160we canamp16039sportsize39amp160oramp16039EPSNize39 itamp160amp160for our audiencequotHanrahan emphasizedamp160that the goal of ESPN CreativeWorks isamp160not to fillamp160allamp160of a client39s marketing needs but to be part of a group effortamp160 quotIn some cases the client wants the creative agency to be part of the work we doamp8221 he saidamp160 amp8220Other times they want us to run with it amp160We leave that call to the clientquotamp160The workamp160alsoamp160can live outside ofamp160ESPN39s realmamp160as long as theamp160worldwide leaderamp160gets the lion39s share of the client39s budget amp160quotThey can take the workquot saidamp160Brzezinskiamp160notingamp160the clientamp160footsamp160the bill for the production costs and that thereamp160isn39t any markup for addedvalue elementsamp160ideationamp160labor costs and working with ESPN talentquotIf it falls underamp160brandedamp160content it may travel elsewherequot Hanrahan added Butamp160if the creative falls too close to home like the executions featuringamp160SportsCenteramp160anchoramp160Scott Van Pelt for Arby39s pictured at top that39s unlikely quotI have hard time seeing NBCamp160Chairmanamp160of Broadcasting and Sports Mark Lazarus saying 39Let39s take this and run it big on NBC Sports39quotamp160he concludedTake a deep dive into the creation of the Arby39s adamp160courtesy of JP FieldsClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this article are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated bloggers

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ESPN CreativeWorks Bolsters Branded Content and Ad Sales on All Platforms

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