With the Women’s World Cup just 100 days away, English-language rights-holder Fox Sports is kicking up the promotional pitch behind the quadrennial event.
21st Century will roadblock a 30-second spot, entitled “It’s Not Over,” flagging the tournament across 34 network. The promo is slated to run around 8 p.m. on Feb. 24 on Fox, Fox News Channel, FX, FXX, FXM, National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo Wild, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 2, Fox Deportes, Fox Soccer Plus, Big Ten Network and Fox Sports’ 22 owned-and-operated regional sports networks.
The promo is a cut-down from the 60-second commercial that bowed on Fox during its coverage of the Daytona 500 and connects U.S. men’s national team member Jermaine Jones, with such women’s team notables Alex Morgan, Abby Wambach and Carli Lloyd.
From Joseph Kahn, a Grammy and MTV Video Music Award-winning directors, who most recently worked with Taylor Swift’s “Black Spaces” and has collaborated with U2, Katy Perry, Eminem, 50 Cent, Britney Spears and Rihanna, the spot aspires to help transfer the fever inspired by the 2014 World Cup fever from Brazil to the women’s team’s quest to capture the 2015 title in Canada, starting on June 8 versus Australia in Winnipeg.
“The FIFA Women’s World Cup this June is going to re-ignite all the passion and fervor so many Americans experienced this past summer during the men’s World Cup,” said Fox Sports executive vice president and head of marketing Robert Gottlieb. “All the excitement and buzz is about to take hold again, and we’re expecting the Women’s World Cup to be the can’t-miss sports and pop-culture moment of the summer.”
Fox also began touting the tournament with Wambach, Kelley O’Hara and captain Christie Rampone serving as the “honorary starters” of the Daytona 500.
Beginning on Tuesday, the programmer is also running weather- controlled digital billboards in Times Square and LA for four days. The ads, reflecting the tagline “They’re getting ready. Are You?” depicts the squad training in current weather conditions. So if it's night-time snow at the "crossroads of the world," the ad running shows the team training at night in snowy conditions.
Fox Sports.com’s home page will feature the digital billboard ads, as well as100-day countdown clock.
On-air, Fox Sports 1 and 2 will feature a “100 Days to the FIFA Women’s World Cup” animated logo/bug has been designed and begins appearing on the network on Feb. 24
FS1 will showcase a trio of classic Women’s World Cup matches: at 8 a.m., viewers can relive Brandi Chastain’s jersey-baring moment when the U.S. won the 1999 World Cup with the penalty kick triumph in the Rose Bowl; at 10 a.m., the PK decision over Brazil in the 2011 quarterfinals that saw Wambach score the latest goal in World Cup history; and the disappointing 2011 loss to Japan in the championship match from Germany.
