In Year Three, ESPN Campaign Foreshadows the Many Roads to the College Football Playoff
As ESPN embarks on one of the most anticipated college football opening weekends ever, the network introduces a new campaign featuring many of the teams vying for a bid to the College Football Playoff.
The first spot in the series, titled “Crossroads,” showcases fans and mascots intersecting at a roadside gas station as they begin their journey to the Playoff. The station will be featured throughout the season as the hub of the campaign, symbolizing the crossroads of the college football universe, and the many roads to the Playoff and the national championship.
The campaign represents the third year of the “Who’s In?” thematic, which was launched in year one of the new College Football Playoff era. Several more spots as well as digital, print and social elements will run through the crowning of the national champion in January 2017
“If we’ve learned anything these last two years, there isn’t only one road to the Playoff. Ask Ohio State year one. Ask Alabama year two. There are many roads to the Playoff and each season, it’s all about finding the right one,” said Emeka Ofodile, Senior Director of Marketing for ESPN.
The ads incorporate several of the official College Football Playoff sponsors as well as the following mascots:
| · Clemson University Tiger |
| · Florida State Garnet and Gold Guys |
| · Louisiana State University Tiger |
| · Michigan State Sparty |
| · Mississippi State Bulldog |
| · Notre Dame Leprechaun |
| · Ohio State Brutus The Buckeye |
| · Texas A&M Yell Leaders |
| · Texas Christian University (TCU) Horned Frog |
| · University of Alabama Big Al |
| · University of Arkansas Razorback |
| · University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) Bruin |
| · University of Florida Gators – Al and Alberta |
| · University of Georgia Bulldog |
| · University of Houston Cougar |
| · University of Mississippi Black Bear |
| · University of Missouri Tiger |
| · University of Oklahoma Boomer |
| · University of Oregon Duck |
| · University of South Carolina Gamecock |
| · University of Southern California (USC) Trojan |
| · University of Tennessee Smokey Dog |
Other schools represented include University of Michigan, Auburn University, Stanford University, University of Washington, UCLA, University of Kentucky and Vanderbilt University. “Who’s In?” was created in collaboration with Wieden + Kennedy New York. Full creative credits follow.
As an offshoot of the campaign, the network also released a Playoff map, featuring many of the teams looking for their road to the National Championship.
ESPN has exclusive coverage of the College Football Playoff beginning with the 2016-2017 season and featuring the four top teams as selected by the College Football Playoff Selection Committee.
ESPN’s best college football kickoff weekend ever will include seven marquee matchups over Labor Day Weekend (Sept.1-Sept.5) which feature eight top 10 teams and four matchups of ranked teams among its more than 40-game must-see schedule during Field & Stream Stores Kickoff Week.
CREATIVE CREDITS – Wieden + Kennedy:
| TV SPOT: ESPN CFP: “Crossroads” |
| CLIENT | ESPN |
| PROJECT NAME | CFP Year 3 |
| CLIENT CONTACT | Emeka Ofodile |
| LAUNCH DATE | 9/3/16 |
| DURATION OF CAMPAIGN | 3 Weeks |
| W+K NEW YORK | |
| Executive Creative Directors | Karl Lieberman |
| Creative Directors | Brandon Henderson, Erwin Federizo |
| Copywriters | Will Binder |
| Art Directors | Jed Heuer |
| Executive Producer
Sr. Producer |
Temma Shoaf
Jessica Griffeth |
| Head of Integrated Production | Nick Setounski |
| Account Team | Mike Welch, Matt Angrisani |
| Project Manager | Kristin Daly |
| Business Affairs Manager | Tana Prosper |
| Head of Business Affairs | Sara Jagielski |
| Traffic | Sonia Bisono, Andy Hume |
| PRODUCTION | |
| Production Company | MJZ |
| Director | Phil Joanou |
| Director of Photography | Chris Soos |
| Executive Producer | Kate Leahy |
| Producer | Paul Manix |
| EDITORIAL | |
| Editorial Company | Final Cut |
| Editor | Michael Dart Wadsworth |
| Assistant Editor | Frank Barnes |
| Post Producer | Jen Sienkwicz |
| Post Executive Producer | Sarah Roebuck |
| VFX / FINISHING | |
| VFX Company | The Mill |
| EP | Chris Kiser |
| Sr. Producer | Nirad “Bugs” Russell |
| Lead Compositor | Jimmy Bullard |
| 2D Assist | Rob Mead, Alex Miller, Vi Nguyen, Ari Garber, Caio Sorrentino |
| Shoot Supervisor | Eliza Pelham Randall |
| Coordinator | Carlos Zalapa |
| MUSIC | |
| Music Co | Ring the Alarm |
| Executive Producer | Daron Hollowell |
| Creative Director | Brent Nichols |
| Producer | Jack Catlin |
| TITLES | |
| Company | The Mill |
| Design | Laura Nash |
| MIX | |
| Mix Company | Significant Others |
| Mixer | T. Terressa Tate |
| Producer | Alek Rost |
| Asst. Engineer | Chas Langston |
| COLOR GRADE | |
| Color Company | Color Collective |
| Colorist | Alex Bickel |
| Color Producer | Claudia Guevara |
