ESPN Talks Tradition, Taking Sides to Promote Wimbledon
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In an effort to hype its annual two weeks’ worth of Wimbledon coverage (which begins next Monday), ESPN launched a promo to herald the fortnight of tennis’s most prestigious tournament.
The Disney-owned, self-proclaimed “worldwide leader in sports” has re-teamed with creative agency 77 Ventures (remember this?) for the new ad, which poses the question “Which Side Are You On?” in what is almost certainly NOT a nod to the history of the organized labor movement.
In a matter of 30 seconds, ideally cast British actor Alexander Campbell takes us around the All England Club’s hallowed Center Court while discussing the traditions and nuances of the tournament such as the all-white attire, the strawberries and cream consumption and again, the term “fortnight.”
While exploring Wimbledon history, our protagonist touches on player contrasts amid interspersed footage of your usual suspects including Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Maria Sharapova.
ESPN appears to have your Wimbledon tournament itself covered with 140 hours of action on TV and 1,500 (!) more on ESPN3.
The network will also run five more ads in this series; each promises to offer viewers “a study in contrasts” between the players’ fierce on-court displays and the “revered, pristine nature” of the event itself.
Client: ESPN
Campaign: ESPN Wimbledon
Agency: Seventy Seven Ventures
Chief Creative Officer: Galen Bernard
President / Writer: Michael Haje
Creative Director: Rachel Heussenstamm
Producer: Hyde Harper
Production Co: Gorgeous
Director: Tom Carty
Exec. Producer: Maddi Carlton
Producer: Ciska Faulkner
Director of Photography: Daniel Landin
Post Production Co: Molehouse
Editor: Andrew Jenson
Sound: Eric Brown
