Beaming Up Viewers for ESPN’s Sportszone

Advertiser: ESPN

Agency: Ground Zero, Santa Monica

Challenge: Develop pitches for ESPN’s Sportszone Web site that are relevant to techies and sports mavens.

The Ads: TV spots show the interplay between various sports figures and Netboy, the fictitious computer nerd behind Sportszone. In one ad, Tony Clark of the Detroit Tigers and Jose Cruz Jr. of the Toronto Blue Jays each offer Netboy bribes to influence his critiques of them. When Clark gives Netboy a limited-edition Chekov doll, Cruz ups the ante by offering him a life-size cutout of the “Star Trek” character. Clark trumps his rival by introducing him to actor Walter Koenig, who played Ensign Chekov on the show. “Hey, Netboy,” says Koenig. “Want to hang?” Other ads feature Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jim Plunkett and ESPN personality Chris Meyers.

Comment: By having athletes show intense interest in Sportszone, the ads imply that the Web site isn’t just for Net surfers. The spots give viewers a look at features available on Sportszone--critiques of Clark and Cruz, for example. The spots have the same tongue-in-cheek humor as ads for the network, but fewer inside gags for sports fans in the know. $$$

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Ads are rated from $ to $$$$, based on tastefulness and probable effectiveness, with $$$$ being highest.