Deja Voodoo: ESPN Goes Old-School with a 'Live' Commercial in 'SportsCenter'
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ESPN is firing up the retro marketing machine with a new initiative that will introduce live commercials into its “SportsCenter” telecasts. A nod to the early days of TV, when presenters would vamp for a sponsor on the set rather than throw to a taped advertisement, ESPN’s foray into live spots began Tuesday night with “SportsCenter” anchor Kenny Mayne’s pitch for Fruit of the Loom.
Viewers who tuned into the 11:30 p.m. ET installment of “SportsCenter” were treated to Mayne extolling the virtues of Fruit of the Loom’s fleece sweats with his signature Gobi-dry understatement. “This is our first-ever live commercial on ‘SportsCenter,'” Mayne said at the top of the show’s first ad break. “Full disclosure: We taped it seven hours ago.”
While Mayne’s caveat was exaggerated for comic effect — the 37-second effort was shot shortly before air time, during the closing minutes of ESPN’s premiere of “Nature Boy,” its 30 for 30 doc on grappler Ric Flair — the network said it aims to present all forthcoming “live” spots in real-time.
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