FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:
NFL 1/7/02
BRIAN McCARTHY, NFL, 212-450-2069
MCCARTHYB@NFL.COM
STEVE ALIC, NFL, 212-450-2066
ALICS@NFL.COM
LOSE AND GO HOME:
CURRENT AND PAST NFL STARS
CAPTURE NFL PLAYOFFS EXPERIENCE
IN NEW CAMPAIGN “IN THEIR OWN WORDS”
Marketing Extensions Include
Spots, Programming and Promotions
The
NFL’s second season begins in January with the NFL Playoffs. It’s a time
when a loss means the end of the season and Super Bowl aspirations for
players, coaches and fans.
The
NFL will capture the intensity of the NFL Playoffs, which begin Jan. 12-13
with Wild Card Weekend, with a month-long multi-faceted campaign titled
“In Their Own Words.” The campaign will extend across numerous NFL
platforms, including TV, radio and print spots, programming on ESPN and
DIRECTV and special promotions on NFL.COM.
The
NFL Playoff and AFC and NFC Championship logos will be integrated in
stadiums, on the game telecasts, in all advertising and on NFL.COM.
Throughout December, NFL Films filmed 20 current and past players and
coaches who described in their own words what the playoffs mean to them.
The interviews included Super Bowl XXVIII MVP Marcus Allen, Jerome Bettis
of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Donovan McNabb of the Philadelphia Eagles,
Jerry Rice of the Oakland Raiders, Brian Urlacher of the Chicago Bears,
Kurt Warner of the St. Louis Rams and head coaches Jon Gruden of the
Raiders and Steve Mariucci of the San Francisco 49ers.
(See below for complete list)
The
spots appear in red “letterbox” form and are tagged with the season-long
“This Is What It’s All About” line.
Ten
spots will begin airing January 5 with in-game :30s and :10s and
out-of-game (morning, daytime and primetime on ABC, CBS, and FOX) :20s and
:10s.
The
campaign will also extend to the radio airwaves with :30 spots on the
Westwood One Radio Network. In addition, tune-in messages featuring
players’ sound bites will air in the 12 NFL playoff markets.
In addition to the
extensive TV, print and radio exposure, other elements of the campaign
include programming on ESPN, DIRECTV, NFL.COM promotion, network
integration, a special advertising section in USA TODAY and in-store
displays.
-
The spots will be turned into a half-hour special on ESPN, debuting 8:30
p. m. Jan. 11 and airing throughout the month. “NFL Films Presents”
will feature extended commentary from the NFL stars from the shoots.
-
NFL SUNDAY TICKET’s programming channel that touts the Sunday afternoon
subscription package on DIRECTV will air segments on channel 703.
-
NFL.COM will stream the spots as well as extended footage from the
interviews. In addition, NFL.COM will host a fun interactive version of
Playoffs Fantasy Football sponsored by the Miller Brewing Company. Fans
may pick eight players and follow their stats throughout the playoffs.
# # #
NFL PLAYOFFS CAMPAIGN
“IN THEIR OWN WORDS”
PLAYER AND COACH INTERVIEWS
Baltimore Ravens:
Ray Lewis, Shannon Sharpe, Tony Siragusa
Chicago Bears:
Mike Singletary (former Bear), Brian Urlacher
New York Jets:
Curtis Martin
Oakland Raiders:
Marcus Allen (former Raider), Tim Brown, Rich Gannon, Coach Jon Gruden,
Jerry Rice
Philadelphia Eagles:
Donovan McNabb
Pittsburgh Steelers:
Jerome Bettis, Coach Bill Cowher, Kordell Stewart
St. Louis Rams:
Marshall Faulk, Kurt Warner
San Francisco 49ers:
Ronnie Lott (former 49er), Coach Steve Mariucci