What do George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft do late at night at National Park, while winding down after their daily Presidents Race? They watch SportsCenter, of course.
Specifically, the 11 p.m., midnight and 1 a.m. broadcasts, which ESPN is specifically advertising for the first time in a new campaign called SC@Night from 72andSunny and Red Interactive.
The launch spot below was filmed at an empty National Parks, where George, Tom, Abe, Teddy and Bill kick their feet up together. Three more spots are on the way. The campaign, with the tagline "End your day on a highlight," aims to re-energize fans' love for SportsCenter in a way that emphasizes the key nighttime watching period for young viewers (and departs from the iconic "This is SportsCenter" work).
Starting Monday, in addition to TV, spots and digital placements will run in 19 stadiums across six markets (New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta and Philadelphia) as well as in ESPN's social channels. Digital banners on ESPN.com and in mobile will feature a countdown to each hour until the show starts. Countdown billboards will be also featured around highways, bus stops and train stations during the evening rush hour.
Messaging in banners throughout the campaign will include lines like:
• "Smile, you'll be on SportsCenter tonight." (in stadiums)
• "The sports you missed while you were watching sports."
• "Your couch called, said 'See you in 4 hours.' "
• "Like bedtime stories for sports fans."
• "Today's top 10 plays starting at 11."