US sports broadcasting behemoth has launched a Major League Baseball (MLB) day-game ticket giveaway called #DitchDays.
Launched across its social media channels in mid August, the campaign sees ESPN ask people to submit their good excuses as to why viewers should ditch work and go to a ball game instead.
The ‘Ditch Days’ promotion, part of ESPN’s ‘Life Needs Sports’ brand campaign, begins on Sunday, 12 August and suggests fans pit themselves on the one-day DL list.
Each day, the fan sending in the most original idea and best excuse to skive off from the job to head to the ball park wins two tickets for an upcoming MLB game.
The initiative is hubbed around a bespoke micro site at http://promo.espn.com/espn/contests/ditchdays/2018/index
and is being promoted by a multi-platform campaign that includes an animated contest digital video,
and, on-air, ESPN’s ‘Baseball Tonight’ crew announced the contest during their pre-game show introduction.
The campaign’s promotional pieces drive viewers online to get the full list of competition rules and to enter the contest at espn.com/DitchDays.
Developed in tandem with creative agency Droga5, the network will distribute a total of 300 game tickets during the promotion.
“We wanted a tangible and fun way to share the Life Needs Sports campaign with our fans. Giving them a way to take the day off and enjoy sports is the perfect way to do it,” said Wanda Young, senior VP, Marketing and Consumer Engagement at ESPN.
“We look forward to seeing the fan’s creativity.”
The promotion works as follows:
· Visit ESPN.com/ditchdays and pick the team whose game you want to attend.
· Tweet a Ditch Day excuse with the team’s hashtag.
· ESPN’s judges pick the 5 most original excuses for each team.
· The winners (& guests) skip work and enjoy a day at the ballpark
Comment:
At Activative, we like a contest that rewards clever creative and original ideas (rather than those which revolve around social media narcissism)
Plus, like Jon Lafayette, the older members of the Activative team immediately thought of Ferris Bueller and his famous ditch ‘Day Off’ – which included a trip to MLB side Chicago Cubs’ beautiful Wrigley Field stadium.
Would you rather be at work or at the ballpark during the day? @ESPN is giving away pairs of @MLB tickets to fans who tweet the best excuses they'd give their bosses for ditching their job. https://t.co/sbHbzRrqpq #DitchDays pic.twitter.com/i60YVi6xR4
— Jon Lafayette (@jlafayette) August 12, 2018
This contest is part of ESPN’s umbrella as part of the ‘Life Needs Sports’ big brand idea which was launched in May 2018 and which celebrates the powerful role sports play in fans’ lives and aims to forge genuine fan connections (see case study).
This tactic is part of a growing sports marketing and sponsorship tradition that has ranged from ditching dates (see case study) to cut out and keep excuse letters to watch football rather than go to work (click to view).
Links:
ESPN
https://www.youtube.com/user/ESPN
https://www.facebook.com/ESPN/
https://www.instagram.com/espn
Major League Baseball (MLB)
mlb.tv
http://mlb.mlb.com/mobile/atbat
Droga 5
