ESPN Deportes reveals a campaign to kick off the 2010 Winter Baseball coverage

ESPN Deportes teamed up with music giants Gilberto Santa Rosa and Johnny Ventura to kick off the network’s 2010 Winter Baseball coverage. Inspired by the 1990s popular tropical song, Botaron la pelota, by Gilberto Santa Rosa, the two stars come together to remake exclusive music videos as part of ESPN Deportes’ marketing campaign to promote the coverage of winter baseball that kicks off with the coverage of the Dominican Baseball League Nov. 5.Every November as the Major League Baseball season comes to a close, ESPN Deportes kicks off exclusive coverage of winter baseball from the Dominican Republic where the sport is king and its people have music running through their veins. This year’s marketing campaign, dubbed Botaron la pelota, culturally connects the network with Hispanic baseball fans in the U.S. through two legendary superstars who embody Caribbean music.“We are honored to have the participation of Gilberto Santa Rosa and Johnny Ventura as the faces behind our winter baseball coverage. This is another example of our continued efforts to identify with our Spanish-speaking audience and it shows our commitment to bring the type of sports coverage and programming that is relevant to Hispanics” said Michelle Bella, VP, Consumer and Ad Sales for ESPN Deportes.This was the first time the duo collaborated with the ESPN brand.The creative campaign is designed to attract both avid and casual baseball fans to watch winter baseball from ‘back home’ no matter their destination in the U.S. The campaign and videos roll out next week across all ESPN Deportes’ platforms –television, print, radio and online – and includes geo-targeted out-of-home executions in key U.S. Hispanic markets including Los Angeles, New York, and Texas.