But there’s a catch to ESPN Deportes’ Futbol a Football giveaway: The person chosen at random from an online and phone drawing, has to kick a soccer ball into a goal from 50 yards away, then split the uprights with a 40-yard field goal (football).
ESPN wants Latino sports fans to know about its ESPN Deportes franchise so it’s trying to give away $10 million to someone who can kick both a soccer ball and a football.
The Futbol a Football contest is the centerpiece of Disney-owned ESPN’s multi-million dollar marketing campaign it launched this summer to get that word out that its properties are the only Spanish-speaking vehicles for the NFL and soccer. ESPN Deportes includes Spanish-language versions of ESPN The Magazine, ESPN.com, ESPN Radio and ESPN television.
But there’s a catch to ESPN Deportes’ Futbol a Football giveaway: The person chosen at random from an online and phone drawing, has to kick a soccer ball into a goal from 50 yards away (futbol) and then split the uprights with a 40-yard field goal (football).
And to add mote pressure to the contestant, the campaign’s finale will take place on New Year’s Day during halftime of a nationally televised Dallas Cowboys game on ESPN.
“We really do want someone to win the $10 million, but we didn’t just want to give it away,” says Lino Garcia, general manager of ESPN Deportes. “But whoever is chosen will have about five or six weeks to prepare, so he or she can hire a personal trainer or a coach to work with.”
If only one of the kicks is successful, the contestant will receive $25,000. If neither kick is good, ESPN will still give that person $10,000 (in addition to the trip to Dallas and a VIP experience at the game).
ESPN Deportes is getting the word out about its Latino marketing campaign with a road tour and radio sweepstakes, both of which target communities with strong Latino populations.
The tour is aimed at giving consumers an interactive experience and features a backdrop depicting a soccer goalie and a football referee with arms extended. Consumers in the 12 Latino markets can kick balls through backdrop, win ESPN Deportes gifts and prizes, and register at kiosks for a chance at the $10 million.
And in each of 18 participating radio markets, ESPN Deportes radio affiliates are hosting drawings for a trip for two to Mexico City to see the Arizona Cardinals play the San Francisco 49ers on October 2. Winners will be chosen in each Latino market, and the stations can customize the campaign, so long as they give away the trip.
The promotion also awards ESPN Deportes affiliates with incentives to devote cross-channel spots to the effort, including tickets to the Mexico City game that can be used in local sweepstakes.
“Futbol a Football speaks to who we are as a network,” Garcia says. “We are breaking through to the public and letting it know that no other Spanish network offers both soccer and the National Football League.”
The campaign was a joint effort of Austin, TX-based LatinoWorks Marketing, Austin, 141 Worldwide, and ESPN.
