The Draw for the 2012 UEFA European Football Championship was held today in Kiev, Ukraine, as the 16 qualifying nations for next summer’s event were placed in their respective groups.
ESPN and ESPN Deportes will have exclusive coverage of all EURO 2012 matches (June 8-July 1, 2012) in the United States.
The marketing spot above, themed “One Month,” debuted today with versions in both English and Spanish.
ESPN senior director of sports marketing Seth Ader talks about the spot and looks ahead to the campaign that will get fans ready for one of the most exciting events of the 2012 global sports calendar.
FR: How long have you been working on Euro 2012 and what’s the primary message?
SA: We’ve been planning our marketing campaign and this initial spot for the better part of the year, since qualifying began. The Euros has every team you would want — literally every power of European soccer is in this tournament. We looked at the 2008 event and started to gather dozens and dozens of tapes. We used the footage of top players, top teams, great crowds — all the drama that’s inherent in the tournament — to promote 2012.
The editing process has been going on for two months and we are very pleased with the result. The rest of the campaign we’ll look deeper into national team stories and other storylines as the event gets closer. In 2008, we had specific national team spots reflecting upon individual teams and how they played in the style that represents their country’s culture. We may go back to that concept or we may try something new.
FR: Who was involved in the creation of this first spot?
SA: The campaign is a collaboration between ESPN’s domestic general market and ESPN Deportes teams, as well as International. ESPN Deportes has exclusive Spanish-language rights to the Euros in addition to our English rights. It was particularly important for ESPN Deportes to have a spot ready for today to plant their flag in the ground as the home for this event.
FR: What’s the significance of the “One Month” theme?
SA: Our copywriter came up with the idea of “One Month.” We think it’s good for people to know it’s a one-month event. Even if you miss a game or two, the drama builds as the month goes on. The device is not something we’ve done for soccer before, but it’s good for us to position this as a month-long experience. We hope to use this off-air as well in digital, print, outdoor and radio. Every game is highly contested and highly dramatic. It’s all set up to be an incredible tournament.
