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ESPN ad spotlights ‘The Usual’

ESPN is set to unveil a new campaign in the UK to coincide with the new football and rugby seasons, called ‘The Usual’, which promotes the range of content on ESPN.

The ad centres around ESPN’s lead football presenter, Ray Stubbs along with the broadcaster’s other key presenters. The campaign will debut on September 8 online and on social media, and from September 15 on TV.

The commercial has Stubbs’s wife away for the weekend, and Stubbs invites his friends over for a sports party – in front of ESPN. As the weekend develops the party gets bigger and bigger with more friends joining Stubbs to enjoy watching sports on the channel. Stubbs’ living room transforms throughout the weekend to create the perfect sporting atmosphere, and additions include the ESPN Rugby ‘burger van’ pitch side studio, a UFC Octogon and Formula Renault racing car.

Stubbs’ mates celebrate as if they are in a stadium; with Samba girls, a German drummer, cheerleaders, football chants and doing a famous football celebration called ‘The Poznan’.

Some of the ‘friends’ who join Stubbs in the 60-second commercial include ESPN’s lead football analyst and ex-England manager Kevin Keegan; ESPN lead rugby analyst and Rugby World Cup winner Ben Kay; ESPN football presenter Rebecca Lowe; ESPN football commentator Derek Rae; and ESPN football reporter Darryl Currie. Stubbs is also joined by UFC stars Che Mills and Jimi Manuwa, famed darts MC Martin Fitzmaurice and Alex Rossi from the Formula Renault motorsport team.

When Mrs Stubbs returns she asks him whether he had a good weekend, to which he replies, “You know, the usual!”

 The ad campaign follows ESPN’s recently launched ‘We speak your sport’ campaign which was all about a shared knowledge, a shared joke, and a shared love of sport, for example, interactions with the average commentator or the boys ‘down the pub’.

Devina Joshi, London