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Baseball Flies South For The Winter Baseball Flies South For The WinterHispanic Market WeeklyPublished: November 06, 2009
The World Series may have concluded on Wednesday evening, but there's still plenty of baseball to watch.
In fact, the sport has simply flown south for the winter. That's the message being conveyed to consumers in a new campaign designed by Austin-based Hispanic advertising agency LatinWorks on behalf of its client, ESPN Deportes.
The
network is home to Dominican League baseball, and tonight (November 6)
at 6:30PM ESPN Deportes kicks off its season-long coverage. Games run
through February 2010, with play-by-play from Ernesto Jerez, color commentary from Hall of Fame pitcher Juan Marichal and "Béisbol Esta Noche" anchor Carolina Guillén. A promotional campaign for Dominican League baseball launched this week on the ESPN Deportes television network, in addition to ESPN Deportes Radio, monthly magazine ESPN Deportes La Revista, ESPNDeportes.com and on the network's mobile platform. Starting November 9, "off-channel" advertising in support of La Liga Dominicana will appear in New York Al Día - a weekly based in Queens that is planning a five-week series on 100 years of baseball in the Dominican Republic. Additionally, Spanish-language television, radio, online and out-of-home executions will be seen in Miami, Orlando and Tampa - markets where passion for baseball among Hispanics rates high and where large Dominican populations are present. The print and out-of-home creative is designed like an airline safety card found in the seat pocket of a plane. With the central message that "during the winter, baseball travels to the Caribbean," playful cartoon illustrations show baseball players sliding out of the airplane. Other images warn that "arguing with the captain" and "warm ups close to the engine" are prohibited. A 30-second television spot was shot in animated form, with cartoon versions of Guillén, Marichal and Jerez welcoming viewers to "a direct flight to the Dominican Republic." Guillén mimics a flight attendant's standard takeoff safety message by advising passengers - the baseball players - to put their bats in the overhead compartment and their gloves under the seat. In the event of an emergency, passengers are told by Guillén to put on a catcher's mask. The spot closes with Marichal and Jerez shown in the cockpit, directing the flight. Chris Noble, LatinWorks' account director for ESPN Deportes, says the concept of baseball flying south for the winter originated within the agency. "ESPN had challenged us with a way to attract hardcore baseball fans and casual ones," he says. "The message is really about being able to enjoy good baseball - and games that will feature both current and future Major League talent. It's about baseball going to a warm place, and picking right up where the World Series left off." Why a marketing campaign on winter league baseball in the Dominican Republic? "It's seen as the strongest of the three leagues that play during the season," says Noble. In addition to games in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Venezuela and Mexico each have winter leagues. Teams from the four leagues compete in the Caribbean Series, held in February and televised on ESPN Deportes. While Dominicans are certainly being marketed to - something uncommon in the sports world, which tends to focus on the dominant Mexican population in the U.S. - Noble believes all Latino baseball fans will have an interest in La Liga Dominicana. "The Dominican League tends to get the top players and top talent and will attract more of the Major League players," he says. "It's a great scouting spot for Major League Baseball. It's really the best baseball going on in the wintertime." · LatinWorks has been the agency of record for ESPN Deportes since the network's launch six years ago.
HispanicSportsBusiness: StatCenter Update Among the top players from the Dominican Republic are:
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