ESPN get hands on with UK app trailer
ESPN’s brand new TV advert features hands getting in shape in their own scaled down gym as they prepare to use its flagship UK app.
“One of ESPN’s objectives is to spread the joy of sport, and with this advert we wanted to have some fun by imagining a hand-centric world, where our characters are getting in shape to make the most of the app. We pride ourselves on the speed of the ESPN app, and the ad brings that to life in an unexpected way.” – Charly Classen, General Manager, ESPN – Europe, Middle East and Africa
The 30-second advert’s work-out theme emphasises the speed of the ESPN app, meaning fingers need to be in top form to take advantage of how quickly it brings users the latest sports news and scores. Created by Hats + Rabbits, based in Cape Town, the humorous spot will has been airing since mid-December in the UK.
Below is a look at the behind the scenes making of the trailer for ESPN. The creation of a miniature set and equipment at a scale of 1:10 was a challenge the agency hadn’t encountered before, and required an innovative approach.
It took more than three weeks to test and build the sets, and eight weeks overall to complete the finished product with every set and prop built from scratch and created using a variety of techniques, including 3D resin printing. The bedroom furniture was made a by a hobbyist who had never worked professionally before while it took a week of casting to find the perfect hands, without scratches or bruises and all a similar size.
Every piece of clothing was tailored to each actor’s hands – each took four hours to be made while the evocative backing track was recorded specially for the advert by a full orchestra, while the gym sounds were recorded in an actual gym.
The recent introduction of the UK edition of the ESPN app followed its launch in the states, where it is the #1 sports app ever. The commercial can be seen in full below.
