On October 25, during NFL Monday Night Football, ESPN launched a espnW sub-brand campaign called ‘That’s A W.’ with an empowering message aimed at supporting women’s sport and reshaping the conversation around it.
The marketing burst is anchored by the ‘That’s a W.’ line and declares to viewers and fans that a W is so much more than a win, but is rather “a way of looking at the world of sport and seeing far more than a game or a race”.
espnW worked with Richmond-based creative agency Arts & Letters on a campaign which expands the definition of a W. and features uplifting moments and female athletes to show that a ‘W.’ isn’t just about the stats on the scoreboard, but is defined by the passion, strength, and heart that female athletes bring every day.
Led by a hero spot, ‘That’s a W.” sees the brand celebrate the amazing accomplishments women achieve in sports each and every day and sets out to showcasd their courage, strength and perseverance on and off the field – defining all of those things as a ‘W.’.
The lead ‘That’s A W’ ad, which dropped during the sports broadcaster’s coverage of the game between New Orleans Saints and the Seattle Seahawks, promotes the evolution of its female-focused ‘espnW’ platform.
The creative shines the spotlight on the key roles female athletes play across US culture and seeks to turbo charge their effect as sports begins to flourish again following its Covid-19 enforced break.
The 60-second commercial stars the likes of boxer Claressa Shields (who channels Muhammad Ali by proclaiming herself the greatest of all time’) and former WNBA star Renee Montgomery (who champions her ownership stake in the Atlanta Dream).
The spot debuted on air on ESPN during the game and then was amplified across the Disney-owned broadcaster’s digital and social channels.
“We want our fans to know that the brand represents all that motivates women to compete, reach their potential and be leaders in this world,” explained EVP Of Commercial Marketing at Disney Networks and ESPN Laura Gentile. “We want our audience to recognize that a ‘W’ can be defined in so many inspiring ways, and that espnW is the home for telling those stories.”
“A ‘W’ is often used as a shorthand for winning, but we wanted to redefine and expand upon that definition through the unique lens of espnW,” added Arts & Letters Copywriter Whitney Schneden. “We’re excited to use this platform to champion, elevate, and dimensionalize the incredible world of women’s sports.”
The campaign was briefed by and created for an ESPN team which included Laura Gentile (EVP, Commercial Marketing, Networks and ESPN), Rachel Epstein (Senior Director, Emerging Properties & Brands), Amanda Marcotullio (Marketing Manager, Emerging Properties & Brands), Christina Ryan (Marketing Manager, Emerging Properties & Brands), Faith McCarthy (Associate Manager, Business Operations, espnW) and Stacey Pressman (Director, Talent Content) plus Zuriel Loving (Talent Producer).
It was conceived and created by agency Arts & Letters Creative Co. where the group working on the project included Charles Hodges (Founder, Executive Creative Director), Molly Jamison (Creative Director), NJ Placentra (Creative Director), Albert Song (Creative), Whitney Schneden (Creative), Kaitlyn Isham (Creative), Temma Shoaf (Director of Production), Christina Cairo (Producer), Rich Weinstein (Managing Director), Hill Shore (Business Director), Erin Shepherd (Business Manager), Andy Grayson (Director of Strategy), Jessica Sartoretto (Strategy Director), Lenora Cushing (Director of Business Affairs), Jennifer Kmetzsch (Business Affairs Assistant), Casey Wheeler (Music Supervisor), Tom Anesta (Group Manager), Ryan Weibust (Editor), Shannon Lowe (Assistant Editor), Emily Kundrot (Animator), Whitney Green (Executive Producer) and Rob Rosko (Producer).
VFX, finishing and colour was handled by MadBox Made, with music and audio mix by Overcoast Music.
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The campaign press release itself claims that “espnW has been the pre-eminent voice in the women + sports space for over a decade – providing a distinct perspective on the athletes, stories, issues, and cultural moments that matter most to women” and claims that the campaign launch was timed to further fuel the current momentum around women’s sports and female athletes which the broadcaster believes is currently at an all-time high.
espnW was first founded back in 2010 to connect female sports fans with the stories they care about the most by creating tailored content at the intersection of women, sports and culture.
Indeed, TV data suggests that espnW and the ESPN brands are the leading US destinations for women’s sports coverage: accounting for almost 40% of all exclusive women’s sports minutes aired in 2019 on nationally measured TV networks.
Collectively, the two brands produce more than 16,000 hours of live sports programming across their networks, including 12 NCAA Women’s Championships and every game of the WNBA Playoffs and Finals.
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