You almost have to feel bad for ESPN, when it comes the "Summer of Favre 2", but at least they have a sense of humor about it. In their latest "This Is Sports Center" ad the network pokes fun at their own coverage. According to Sports Business Daily, Senior Dir/Marketing Seth Adler said, "while the concept for the ad was developed several months ago, it was not filmed until last Tuesday, the same day Favre signed with the Vikings." Adler also went onto say that it marks the quickest turnaround time, three days, in the history of the campaign. Here's your first look....

I don't know what it is about this preseason, that makes it seem like it's been dragging on forever, but Football can't come soon enough. That's why every Football related release gets me completely amped. For example, the latest "Is It Monday Yet?" commercial from ESPN....

Are we really only into week one of the preseason? Good lord. You can probably expect a Brett Favre edition of these in about a day.

ESPN finally seems to be taking a queue from NBA TV and has decided to go old school for its NBA Finals campaign. The new set of ads will be an extension of the "Where Will Amazing Happen This Year" theme, but will feature an homage of sorts to the greats. While the video promos will stay the same, the main piece of marketing will be a photo timeline of seven NBA players in the midst of a dunk. The piece titled "Evolution" will be seen in print and on billboards in various cities. Here is your first look (click for larger)....


Just an amazing photo right there. I've always been a fan of the sequence photos like that, but switching it to multiple players like that almost makes it "poster worthy". If I still lived in a dorm, that thing would be up post haste.

I've never thought of the "This Is Sports Center" ads to be biased in any way, but apparently there are a few people out there that do. Namely, Phil Mushnick of the NY Post. The latest and greatest Sports Center commercial, features agent Drew Rosenhaus negotiating meal prices for Scott Van Pelt and Neil Everett. And while most thought the ad was humorous and harmless, Mushnick seems to think there is a deeper issue....

But while cute is one-shot deal, ESPN is left with a large, unsealed can of ESPN Brand worms. ESPN's in the sports news business, Rosenhaus and his long list of pro football clients are newsmakers, and ESPN and Rosenhaus are now forever joined in an advertising cross-promotion, the kind of special relationship that even minimally vigilant journalists avoid.

The next "scoop" ESPN lands connected to a Rosenhaus client becomes highly suspect, as do the following 100. Rosenhaus, after all, has some funky clients, including Plaxico Burress, Jeremy Shockey, Terrell Owens and Browns WR Donte Stallworth, recently charged with manslaughter.

Is there no one at ESPN with the authority, foresight and fundamental sense of right-from-wrong to have killed this before it advanced beyond a bad idea? Why would ESPN do this to itself? Why would it do this to its anchors? Why would its anchors allow ESPN to do this to them?

But ESPN always wants it both ways. It wants to be America's leader in go-get-'em sports journalism, yet regularly provides proof that it can't distinguish journalism from a box of cookies.

I can sort of see his point, but are we really breaking new ground here? Rosenhaus knows as well as anyone that ESPN is the "leader" in getting information out to the masses, and he has always used them as his first choice. The guy has been doing bits on "First Take" for years, and anytime something goes wrong, ESPN is the first to report it.

It's certainly a line that ESPN has to straddle careful in regards to Rosenhaus, but they've certainly bashed the agent in the past, and don't always give him a free pass. I think this is much ado about nothing, if you ask me.

ESPN's Cute Ad Raises Questions (NY Post)

"Mini-mercials" are the latest craze to hit television, and ESPN will begin airing them this May. You probably have noticed the little spots during PTI breaks to keep you glued to the ads, but these will be different. Instead of the hosts jumping back on randomly, digital billboards will appear for certain companies before segments. Via the New York Times....

Beginning May 15, Coors will begin a two-month campaign of the new 10-second billboards, called mini-mercials, that will run during evening “SportsCenter” segments on ESPN. Miller Lite will begin its campaign in mid-July.

MillerCoors will be the most extensive user of mini-mercials, but will not be the first. Asics, the manufacturer of sports shoes and sports apparel, began a short flight on last Friday evening’s “SportsCenter” that will run through the end of this month.

TV ad buying for both MillerCoors and Asics is handled by the media agency Initiative, part of the Interpublic Group of Companies. MC Media is a dedicated agency for MillerCoors that was created last fall and is a partnership between creative agency Draft FCB and Initiative.

The goal of the mini-mercial on ESPN is to bring more action to the traditional TV billboard that leads into “SportsCenter” segments. Typically, billboards leading into a program simply show the logo of the sponsor of that segment.

I think I saw the one they were referring to that aired yesterday, and needless to say, it's pretty awkward. All of a sudden an anchor appears after an ad, and they're right into the next highlight. I really didn't think there was a way to fit in more advertising and distractions to Sports Center, but I guess I was wrong.

MillerCoors and Asics Bring Action to Ads on ESPN (New York Times)

Peter Gammons is an amazing reporter, but this ESPN spot (which debuts today) illustrates some of his tricks for getting the information he wants. The main one being the use of carrier pigeons....

Too funny. There are others, featuring Karl Ravech, Steve Phillips and John Kruk, but unless they talk about the Krukster's mullet, they're probably not better than that one.

Now this all makes sense. Why did A-Rod decide to go with ESPN as his interviewer following the news that he did steroids? Well because ESPN is using him to promote their coverage of the World Baseball Classic. I honestly wish I was kidding. ESPN and ESPN2 are carrying 23 games of the Baseball tournament this March, and along with Jorge Cantu, Ichiro and Derek Jeter, A-Rod will be one of their marquee names in advertisements starting this Saturday....


It is certainly possible that these ads were long in the making, but even so, don't you think ESPN would have pulled the Rodriguez ones? Seems far too convenient if you ask me. Oh, and tell me that quote they used for him, doesn't piss you off even more? I'm just about done with Baseball.

Here we go again. Someone was trying to do something funny, and a special interest group takes offense. ESPN has apologized to both the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, and the Human Rights Campaign, for an add that featured commentator Mike Breen asking for a "Fist Kiss" from Shaquille O'Neal. Not only that, but they're dropping the ad entirely. Via Edge....

ESPN thought it was being clever when it unveiled a promotional ad the cable channel that showed basketball superstar Shaquille O’Neal rejecting a "fist kiss" (fist bump, really) from sports commentator Mike Breen. Instead, it unleashed a firestorm of protest.

Now, the channel has said it is sorry and will remove the ad, reports The Advocate. After Breen called it a "fist kiss," O’Neal moves away from Breen on the couch, and says, "No fist kiss, no fiss love, no fist hump. None of that. You’re a weirdo man. Stay over there. Fist kiss. Disgusting."

It was the latter word that got the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and the Human Rights Campaign hot under the collar.

GLAAD, in a statement, reported that ESPN responded to its objections with a statement of its own. "None are intended to be offensive to anyone or any community of people," ESPN’s statement said of its campaign. "Our intent is to send a positive message about the camaraderie of sports and to do so as creatively as we can."

The network added that "We understand your perspective on this ad and would like to apologize to the members of the gay community. In addition, we have decided to remove the ad from the campaign’s online executions. ESPN has a long-standing tradition of supporting diversity in the workplace and beyond. We are fully committed to continuing a dialogue that welcomes and recognizes diverse perspectives. We appreciate your bringing your concerns to our attention.

I always say that people should just apologize, and move on if they offend someone, but some of these requests are getting a bit ridiculous. I guess alls well that ends well, but you would think ESPN could have changed the ad instead of dropping it entirely.

ESPN Apologizes for, Removes ’Homophobic’ Ad

Cult hero and infomercial king, Billy Mays has been hired by ESPN to do ads for ESPN360. You should start seeing them right away across all of ESPN networks, but what kind of host would I be if I didn't have a sneak peek? Here is the set of ads for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!

Hilarious. As a college student, I would love nothing more than to stay up late...umm....studying, and watch Mays try to sell everything from a Bloomin' Onion Maker to any number of household cleaning products. So great idea to utilize him in the ads. Plus the part where the girl says, "Now my job is way less soul crushing," cracked me the hell up. Bravo ESPN!

So I was randomly forwarded a casting call from an anonymous tipster for an ESPN commercial which features various students calling people around the country to get them to watch more College Basketball. Seems like a basic concept right? Well wait until you read what the Casting Director is looking for from each individual acting as students from various Universities....

ESPN
Promo
SAG
PAY RATE: SAG PROMO RATE

Director: Matt Aselton
Casting Director: ERICA PALGON
Interview: Thurs 11/13 and Fri 11/14, Mon 11/17
Fitting: 11/21
Shoot: 11/24, 25
Location: New York

SUBMIT ELECTRONICALLY LIZ LEWIS CASTING PARTNERS

EVERYONE MUST BE STRONG WITH COMEDY/IMPROV. PLEASE WRITE ANY ADDITIONAL NOTES, IN THE NOTES PAGE, ABOUT ACTOR'S COMEDIC/IMPROV EXPERIENCE/TRAINING, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL IN LOOKING THROUGH SUBMISSIONS

All roles are ages 18-22 yrs old. WITH THE EXCEPTION of PERDUE.

The concept: The spots take place in the ESPN College Basketball Call Center (CBBCC). All of these guys are there representing their schools, calling people on the phone to get them to watch more College Basketball. Basically they are selling college basketball.

SEEKING:

[ DUKE UNIVERSITY ]
MALE. Our guy for Duke UNIVERSITY is a smart, with it, young WHITE male. He's handsome. He's from money. He is, in short, the kind of guy, everyone can't stand. He is the kind of guy everyone wants to be.

[ NORTH CAROLINA ]
FEMALE. She's a Southern bell. She is the counterpoint to Duke. Being young and pretty everyone wants to be around her. She's charming. Not a dingbat, she's sharp.

[ TEXAS ]
MALE. Straight out20of an Abercrombie & Fitch catalog, Texas is a young man's man. He is the kind of guy that could field dress a deer and then take you to the debutante ball in 20. Polite, farm boy. He's good at everything. Except call centering.

[ KANSAS ]
MALE. Kansas is straight off the farm. However, he takes great pains to point out that Kansas is very cosmopolitan, as witnessed by their record, their burgeoning tech industry, and their hybrid corns (bonus:
modified by fish genes!)

[ CONNECTICUT ]
MALE. Connecticut is all things Connecticut. He's a little bit older.
He's a little bit thicker around the waist. He's WHITE. He's also competitive. Very. Waspy, blue blood.

[ OKLAHOMA ]
MALE. Oklahoma is awesome and he thinks everything is awesome. He's very enthusiastic about all things call center and all things life and he wants to share this contagious enthusiasm with everyone he meets.
Wide-eyed, as naive as they come.

[ LOUISVILLE ]
MALE. Louisville is very true to place. He's short. He's HISPANIC. And one day he hopes to carry on in proud Louisville tradition and race thoroughbreds.

[ TENNESSEE ]
FEMALE. Tennessee is orange crazy. The ice tray in her orange fridge, that freezes the water she dyes orange, is that orange. The party girl cowboy hat she wears is a white and orange zebra print. The tattoo on her lower back is Pantone 3 for that Tennessee orange. The only thing that's not orange is her dog, which is the20mascot Smokey. Did we mention she's crazy? A slutty girl who would hang out at the cowgirl hall of fame.

[ PURDUE ]
MALE. Child prodigy. 14-year-old. Or open to an 18-year-old who looks 14. Aeronautical engineering. Wiz kid. Think McLovin from Superbad.

[ VILLANOVA ]
MALE. Villanova is the poor man's Duke — he's not quite as handsome, he's not quite as rich, he's not quite as dapper. After 2 or 3 beers though, who cares? As he's friendly enough.

[ NOTRE DAME ]
MALE He's an ASIAN kid who is in to all things Notre Dame, ridiculously so. Oh, and he's always fighting. Every time we encounter him he always has some words or another, be it the faint traces of a black eye, or a scab or whatever. He epitomizes the fightin' Irish.

[ PITTSBURGH ]
FEMALE. Pittsburgh is a tomboy. She obviously grew up in the neighborhood and isn't going to take any guff from anyone and she'll wallop you in the eye with a crowbar if you suggest different. So don't. Think Tina Fey type.

[ SYRACUSE ]
MALE. Jewish kid from Long Island that is loving the college experience. It has opened up a world he never knew existed. All you can eat buffets in the cafeteria — who knew? To Syracuse, everything is a party.

[ GEORGETOWN ]
FEMALE. Georgetown, a 4.36 GPA who's lived in 9 world-class cities, but all the time in her sister's shadow (her GPA is 4.37). She's sort of the female Duke, except most people like her. Think Reese Witherspoon.

[ GONZAGA ]
MALE. No one knows what Gonzaga looks like because no one knows where to find him. He is still stuck in the grunge look, reckless, in from the wild. Flannel look. Chews tobacco. Guy that would go to school in the Pacific Northwest.

[ MARQUETTE ]
FEMALE. Marquette, on a scale of 1-10, she's a six. A B-, C in every category you can define a person by. Her defining characteristic is you don't really remember her. You're not breaking your arm to get to her, but you're not chewing it off to get away. She does have a winning personality though. Midwest, sweet girl.

[ MICHIGAN STATE ]
MALE. Blue collar to the core. Michigan State is one tough kid that grew up by putting a few down. That's just Michigan State's way. Big beefy kid.

[ MEMPHIS ]
MALE. What can we say about Memphis? He's a southern BLACK kid, really culinary and polite. He's artistic, and draws comic books really well.

[ MARYLAND ]
MALE. He plays lacrosse. A dude. Low key. Mid Atlantic, wears baseball hats and chinos.

[ OHIO STATE ]
MALE. He looks like Jim Tressle (head coach of Ohio State football) in the dress code. Red sweater vest. Always. Doesn't care for swearing either — of course we never really test this out as they are commercial advertisements and no one swears in them, but it's true nevertheless.
A Republican.

[ ILLINOIS ]
MALE. African-American. Young Obama. Think Toofer-the straight-laced, Harvard grad write r from 30 Rock (Keith Powell)

[ OKLAHOMA STATE ]
FEMALE. She's a fun loving girl, Oklahoma born and bred. Decided not to travel out of State so she should be closer to home. She's a flirt.
She's a hot chick.

[ TEXAS A&M ]
MALE. True to the region, Texas A&M is one tough dude. He's not big physically, but he is imposing. He's an ROTC kid and his 100-yard stare lets you know it.

[ BAYLOR ]
MALE & FEMALE. Baylor is not one people but two. It's a couple. In fact, we're not even sure which one goes to Baylor. We only know they are madly in love. Their world is each other, which is really sweet or really sickening, depending. Think Sheri Oteri and Will Farrell as the cheerleaders.

So, ummmmm yeah. Basically if you're in actor/actress in NYC and you want to be a part of possibly one of the most sexist, racist and stereotypical ads ever, then this is for you! They're so stereotypical that they're almost funny. I mean...."[ MARQUETTE ]
FEMALE. Marquette, on a scale of 1-10, she's a six.....Really? I mean....REALLY?!?!?! Oh and so they want one "BLACK kid" and one "African-American"? Pretty funny how the "African-American" went to Harvard and the "BLACK kid" draws comic books. Unbelievable.

Good lord. I know directors are looking for certain people to fill roles, but are casting calls always this ridiculous? I wish I was making this up. Just flat out unbelievable.

Update: According to the original tipster, the notice has been taken down and here is ESPN's statement on the matter....

"Our marketing department just learned of this casting call today and the campaign is not something we will pursue. The language and approach reflected in that document were not approved by us and in no way represent ESPN or the respect we have for the college community."

Fair enough. When things get outsourced like this, you can certainly lose a lot of control. I don't think ESPN is entirely to blame for this one, but maybe they should keep a closer eye on things like this in the future.

We finally get to learn who ESPN Sports Center's ghost writer is now that ESPN is featuring him in a new "This is Sports Center" commercial!

Enh. I guess that was okay, but I was hoping for something a little darker. Oh well. The spot debuts on Monday, September 29th, but you've already seen the entire thing, so I wouldn't go setting your TIVO or anything.

Given that there will be no guests in the MNF Football booth this year (so says ESPN), ABC has found another way to cross promote its hit show "Dancing With The Stars". Yep, they've decided to throw it into a Monday Night Countdown promo and here is the awesome result....

It's not the worst commercial ever made, but it doesn't hold a candle to Emmitt and Key leading that pottery class last year. Although the Tom Jackson reply of "worrrrd" made me chuckle.

ESPN is pulling out all the stops for their promos these days. First they amazingly pulled MC Hammer from his busy schedule for a Monday Night Football ad, and now this. The Little League World Series is underway and The "Leader" has gotten its hands on one of the hottest and most popular bands in the world. No not U2 silly, it's the Jonas Brothers! ROCK!!!

I'm obviously not a teenager, and I'm just guessing here, but I'm pretty sure that they're missing their target demo just a bit with that choice. I mean, back in the day NKOTB was the biggest band on the planet, but there wasn't a male on the face of the earth that would admit to liking them (no matter how cool that leg swinging dance they did in the "Hanging Tough" video was). They would have been ridiculed mercifully in school.

I'm pretty sure there aren't many twelve year old girls watching the LLWS, but I could be wrong. Also, let's take a look at the lyrics of that catchy tune....

I'm slippin' into the lava
And I'm tryin' to keep from going under
Baby, who turned the temperature hotter
'Cause I'm burnin' up
Burnin' up for you baby

Hmmm. For a baseball game? Okay....if you say so.

You may remember over the last few years that ESPN had started to use a new tagline for it's MNF commercials leading up to the games. The "Is It Monday Yet?" ads started popping up more frequently and for some reason, I've always seemed to enjoy them (especially the humming one). Well this year they've brought them back, but with 100% more 90s.

I'm combining two ads into one video here but the first one is all you need to worry about. It makes zero sense, but it includes a dream sequence starring THE Stanley Kirk Burrell, or as you know him....MC Hammer....

I've watched that clip about ten times now, and I still have no idea what it's about. But I think the lesson that we have learned though, is that anytime you use MC Hammer and a keytar in the same commercial....it's going to be a winner.

(P.S.- Here's a challenge.....Sing this five times, "We've got to pray. Praaaaaay. Pray....Praaaaay. We've got to pray just to make it today," and have it not be stuck in your head the rest of the day. Good luck.)

You just knew something like this was going to happen at some point. I missed the video, but thanks to multiple sleuths around the Internets we have the photographic evidence. Steve was doing a live commercial right before the 8am Sports Center when the camera panned to a dry erase board that displayed the lovely f-word in all its weirdly written glory....


I'm desperately searching for the video at the moment (damn me for recording Mike and Mike in the morning....what am I thinking?), but as soon as it's found I'll put it up. Too funny. Whoever wrote that must have been hella bored and for Steve's sake, I hope that number isn't his ATM pin. According to Deadspin, ESPN has acknowledged the situation and apparently isn't happy. I'm thinking that they're going to get a ton of press online from this today, so it's not as bad as they think.

Also, this would be a good time to remind you that I'll have a running live-blog of the SC Live debut this Monday starting at 9am. There also might be a few surprises earlier than that as well, so it should be extra fun.

F-Bomb On ESPN Live Commercial (Gibbs 12)
This Is Why It's Dangerous To Shoot Live Commercial Spots (Deadspin)

I guess it's a natural occurrence when you're a global company, but some days it amazes me just how much ESPN is actually in the regular news. The latest "controversy" the "Leader" finds themselves mired in is with matchmaking company Ashley Madison. ESPN has asked its local affiliates to pull an ad for the dating website that matches potential adulterers with people willing to help them cheat on their spouse....

Amy Phillips, a spokeswoman for ESPN -- which is owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News -- said that the sports channel has asked its local affiliates to stop running an ad for AshleyMadison.com, a Web site that connects would-be cheaters with potential mates.

Phillips would not say why the channel decided to pull the ad.

Noel Biderman, the president of AshleyMadison.com, who learned of ESPN's decision from an ABCNews.com reporter, said he felt that "a double standard" had been applied to his company with respect to advertising.

He said ESPN is "inundated" with advertisements for alcohol, a product "responsible for health issues and ultimately death."

"Somehow I'm immoral and everything else is OK," he said.

AshleyMadison.com boasts a membership of more than 2.2 million. For $49, members can create profiles and send e-mails and instant messages to each other. A slogan on the company's homepage reads "Life is Short. Have an Affair."

The 35-second commercial shows an unhappy-looking man lying in bed alongside a snoring woman. As he gets up and leaves the bedroom, a narrator's voice declares, "Most of us can recover from a one-night stand with the wrong woman, but not when it's every night for the rest of our lives. Isn't it time for AshleyMadison.com?"

This is certainly an obvious choice for ESPN to make, and the alcohol angle is just asinine, so good for them. Other channels like Spike TV have pulled the ads as well, but you can still see the spots on Larry King Live and Anderson 360 in the near future as CNN hasn't decided to nix them or not yet. Good times America!

Extramarital Affair Ad Gets Axed (ABC News)

Obviously last night's Sports Center, when it wasn't airing a Mummy 3 preview, had a lot about Manny. All of it was very repetitive until the very end of the show when they decided to show a SC Commercial that Ramirez had taken part in. Here's the spot featuring Jay Harris, Steve Levy, and Manny himself....

Hilarious. Since he's in a Red Sox jersey they said it can be never shown again. I have no idea why they're not able to keep it but apparently last night and this morning are the only times you get to see it on ESPN. You can watch here though whenever you want though.

I mentioned last week that Sports Center was going to start airing some live commercials with the help of our new friend Steve (their rookie actor). Well, those started up over the weekend and I wanted to share a clip in case you missed it/them. Here is Steve live on-air yesterday....

Kind of cheesy, and very telethon-like, but the the kid didn't seem nervous at all. It can't be easy to go on-air live multiple times throughout a day/week. I also really like the tagline on the sign at the end. "More Work For Us. More Better For You," actually made me chuckle.

Not a bad start Stevie, but I'm watching.

ESPN To Use Live Commercials (And Rookie Actor) For New Sports Center Spots (Awful Announcing)

Everyone is anxiously counting down the days until the new Sports Center starts (okay not really) and we finally have an idea of how ESPN is going to market it. Get some random guy and put him on the air live....375 times between now and August 11th. Steve Braban is a 25 year old program coordinator but will soon be the star of the network. Via USA Today....

But next week, David Letterman's monologues might mention Braband's breakfasts. Starting Sunday, Braband will begin appearing daily in at least 25 30-second ESPN TV ads over 15 days — yes, at least 375 total ads — that will all be live.

The idea is to hype ESPN's new live SportsCenter weekday shows — from 9 a.m. ET to 3 p.m., hours that have been used for reruns from the night before — that will debut Aug. 11. Not coincidentally, that's the first weekday of the Beijing Olympics. Wieden & Kennedy, the Portland, Ore., ad agency that created Nike's famous ads and produces SportsCenter ads, suggested picking an ESPN employee who comes across as a fan.

More than 160 staffers showed up for an open casting call. Braband says he felt like he was "rushing through (his audition) like a big idiot. But they said everybody else was being like Johnny SportsCenter anchor. I was real. Plus, they got a big kick out of seeing I'd locked myself out of my car."

On the surface this seems like a ridiculous idea but the advertising firm W&K's recent ads have been outstanding. My hope is that the kid has a "Boom Goes the Dynamite" performance but whether he's good or not won't matter. Either way it'll bring attention to the new lineup.

Updated: ESPN sent along a picture of the guy so I added it above.

ESPN gives novice on-air role in ad campaign (USA Today)

I thought that the Mummy previews were exclusive to NBC's coverage of the Olympics, but of course I was wrong. ESPN is going to get in on the action and they've got their first commercial with Steve Nash and Brendan Fraser...

Oh boy! I can't wait for that special sneak preview. Can we also get Brendan Fraser on First Take, Mike & Mike, Sports Center and Monday Night Baseball? You've already got that scheduled??? Great, grand, wonderful.