CAMPAIGN TYPE: Product Launch
TIMEFRAME: October 2002- March 2003
BUDGET: $50,000
As sports reporters gathered at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami for Opening Day of Major League Baseball in 2003, they noticed more buzz than usual circulating around
the ESPN crew.
ESPN, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, has historically taken the lead in driving consumer demand for new technologies and was now readying for
the next round: the launch of the first 24-hour, high-definition sports television (even though the cable industry does not fall under a 1996 government mandate that all
commercial broadcasters switch to digital signals by 2006).
The game plan was to take HDTV on the road and demonstrate the technology to sports reporters first-hand. (In addition to Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, ESPN demonstrated the
technology in 12 baseball stadiums coast-to-coast, from Camden Yards in Baltimore to the Big 'A' in Anaheim, California.)
Although reporters knew the HDTV technology was available - it went on the market in 1998 -- some of them "didn't want to talk about it because they follow us on so many
different levels," says Katina Arnold, director, Affiliate and Corporate Communications, at ESPN.
However, by showing (and not talking about) the technology, ESPN was able to take the pitch to a new level. "A lot of reporters sat and watched the entire game on HDTV rather
than live in front of them," says Arnold.
"Once they were able to see how sharp HDTV is, they started writing articles on why consumers should sign up for the service. Sports fans have always been the early-adopters
of new technologies."
She adds: "We could have focused our media efforts on distributors. But we felt the message would work on a much more basic level by launching the product directly to sports
reporters."
Five years after the inception of HDTV in 1998, it had penetrated into just 8% of the market, according to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). But by 2008 it
is projected to be in at least half the market. (HDTV, garnered $3.7 billion from January 2002 through November 2002.)
With favorable articles about HDTV in such publications as USA Today ESPN's strategy has helped to drive fans to call their local cable and satellite providers for the
service and pressure them to distribute HDTV programming. Stories about the HDTV have also appeared in the top 10 cable and technology-trade publications, including
Mediaweek and Broadcasting & Cable.
Meantime, ESPN's deep bench of media players helped to cross-promote the benefits of HDTV. In addition to regular plugs during ESPN's flagship "SportsCenter" (which runs
several times throughout the day), ESPN The Magazine and ESPN Radio also served as boosters for people to contact their cable subscribers for the service.
The network also hosted HD viewing parties at several ESPN Zone restaurants/bars throughout the country.
In the last year ESPN has secured carriage deals with more than 90% of the country's multi-channel providers; there are currently about 5 million HDTV subscribers (out of 88
million homes that carry cable). What's more, the campaign helped to drive advertising and sponsorship dollars from both Phillips and Best Buy.
As Gary Shapiro, president-CEO of the CEA put it - in that every-important third-party endorsement for PR -- "We believe that sports programming is the key to wide consumer
acceptance of HDTV and with ESPN HD programming, consumer interest in HDTVs will skyrocket."
Contact: Katina Arnold, 860.766.7463, [email protected].