72andSunny launched a new campaign promoting the late night editions of ESPN’s SportsCenter with the 30-second “Presidents,” following the recent addition of a midnight version of the program hosted by Scott Van Pelt beginning on September 7. It’s worth noting that while W+K typically handles SportsCenter work for the client, ESPN is treating the promotion of the program’s late night editions as a separate project, handing it off to the agency it also worked with last year on a campaign promoting ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown.
The spot, which stars the Washington Nationals racing presidents, calls on viewers to “End Your Day on a Highlight” with the program. “Presidents” depicts the Nationals’ mascots ending a long day of cheering and racing by making for a couch at the center of Nationals Park and watching SportsCenter on the big screen. With the disappointing season the Nationals have been having, they really could use the break. The campaign is designed to appeal to viewers who don’t typically catch the morning or afternoon editions of the program, presumably like the presidents. Its tagline is a clever way to reinforce the idea of the program as a before bedtime treat, punning on “highlight” to refer both to the highlight reels of SportsCenter and the idea that its viewers spend the day looking forward to watching the program.
Another spot set to debut next week, “Frat House” takes a look at a big part of the late-night demographic: college students. In addition to the broadcast spots, the campaign is supported by digital and mobile executions, digital billboards, and stadium messaging across six markets.