First Little League Public Service Announcement to Debut on ESPN
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Some of the “actors” from the public service
announcements (PSAs) pose for a group photo at the end of
filming. |
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WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (Jan. 31, 2007) – The first of four
public service announcements (PSAs), designed to recruit kids and
parents for Little League Baseball and Softball, will begin
appearing this month and throughout the year across 15 ESPN
platforms, including ESPN on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN HD, and many
more.
The campaign is part of Little League’s new TV contract with ESPN,
which will extend the relationship between the world’s largest youth
sports program and the world’s leader in sports television through
Little League’s 75th anniversary in 2014.
“We’re delighted with these spots,” Lance Van Auken, senior
communications executive of Little League International, said. “They
communicate the all-inclusive nature of Little League, with a great
sense of energy and a contemporary look. It will be a big plus to
have messaging on the air in the winter and spring this year, in
addition to the weeks leading up to the 49 televised games we will
have on ESPN and ESPN2 this August.”
Televising all eight of the Little League Baseball and Softball
World Series championships is another aspect of the contract
extension with ESPN. It will be the first time that games from all
of Little League’s various World Series will be televised.
Seattle-based remerinc completed the campaign for Little League
International.
“Our strategy for this campaign was to forego the cliché images of
winning moments and instead highlight the simple acts of
participation and having fun,” said remerinc CEO and Creative
Director, Dave Remer. “The client was completely supportive of that
sensibility and the spots are the better for it.”
Added remerinc Vice President of Strategy and Client Services,
Andrea Jones, “While these spots were PSAs, we wanted to avoid a
predictable PSA vibe. The concepts we shot helped with that, as did
the use of 35 mm film, which gave the entire campaign a polished
look and feel.
Each of the spots concentrates on a different theme and ends with an
invitation to, “Sign up and get in the game.”
“Around the Horn” symbolizes the community nature of Little League
by following a ball as it’s thrown from one participant to another –
including male and female players of all ages, parents who cheer
their kids on, and other adults who volunteers in many ways. (A
low-resolution video of the “Around the Horn” PSA is available
here: http://www.littleleague.org/video/psa_01.htm)
“My Favorite Things” introduces Little League Softball by following
three female softball players as they talk about what they like most
about Little League, both on the field and off.
“Being There” speaks to the importance of adult volunteers and
demonstrates that supporting the kids desire to play is more
important than possessing great skills.
“One Size” teaches the viewer that Little League Baseball doesn’t
end in the teenage years, but is really just beginning – giving kids
a place to play through age 18.
Other aspects of Little League’s contract extension with ESPN that
will provide direct financial befit to local Little Leagues are:
Free Background Checks – In partnership with ChoicePoint,
Little League International will provide every local Little League
in the U.S. with 80 free criminal background checks of volunteers in
each league. Additional checks will be $1 each. This represents a
savings of more than $1 million annually for local Little Leagues.
Charter Fee Reduction – For the first time in Little League’s
68-year history, the fees paid by the local volunteer organizations
to become “chartered” Little Leagues will decrease for every
division of play. In 2006, charter fees were $18 per team. In 2007,
fees have been lowered to $16 per team, representing a savings of
more than $350,000 per year for local leagues.
Coaching Initiative – Still being formulated, it is Little
League International’s intent to offer an on-line coaches resource
center and training program at no charge to all Little League
managers and coaches worldwide. Based on the fees charged to
individual coaches or leagues in other youth baseball and softball
programs, this initiative represents a potential savings of millions
of dollars for hundreds of thousands of local Little Leagues and
volunteers.
About Little League International
Little League International (littleleague.org),
founded in 1939 in Williamsport, Pa., is the world’s largest
organized youth sports program, made up of nearly 200,000 teams,
more than 2.6 million children and 1 million volunteers in every
U.S. state and 75 other countries.
About remerinc
remerinc (remerinc.com) is a full-service
advertising and creative marketing agency, specializing in building,
driving, and reinforcing strong brands. Founded in 1993 and
headquartered in Seattle, the agency has produced award-winning work
for a diverse range of clients. Clients include ABC, ESPN, Getty
Images, Starbucks, Hewlett-Packard, Kodak, and MSN. It is the recent
winner of a Cannes Gold Lion in the category of Best Customer
Marketing for an international integrated campaign.
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