Forging The Road To

FOX SPORTS 1A case study by Alex Lang

Robert Gottlieb, then SVP Marketing for FOX SPORTS, had a massive project and almost no time.

It was late January, 2013. He had to launch a viable alternative to ESPN. By August. And it HAD to work.

He called me to help.

I had successfully rebranded a number of TV networks (The WB, ABC, Discovery International, G4) and we shared a common passion for smart brand messaging delivered via impeccably-produced marketing assets.

We broke down our challenge immediately.

FOX Pedigree

STRENGTHS We had a lot going for us:

Relationships with CarriersRelationships with Advertisers

Relationships with Fans

Promising Programming Slate (content agreements with most major sports leagues)

WEAKNESSES We had significant challenges:

Tight timelineLimited staff

OPPORTUNITIES We had a big one:

Initial Market research indicated that there was a perception in American audiences, that ESPN had made sports too corporate, too stuffy, too removed from the fans.

THREATS We weren’t alone:

NBC Sports and CBS Sports had barely made a dent in ESPN’s armor. Would we fare any better?

In defining our brand, we first identified our audiences. For Fox Sports 1 to succeed, we needed buy in from 4 distinct constituencies:

CARRIAGE PARTNERS

CONTENT PARTNERS

FANS

ADVERTISERS

CARRIAGE PARTNERS & CONTENT PARTNERS

needed to believe in us.

ADVERTISERS & FANS

needed a compelling reason to choose us.

After much thought, we arrived at our BRAND PROMISE:

making sports fun again

And we began breaking that promise down for B2B and B2C communications

Robert hit the road, presenting our brand vision to sports leagues and carriage partners, earning their trust in our approach.

I began work on our first Fox Sports Upfront where we would officially announce the new network.

2013 Fox Sports UpfrontAs Creative Director, I oversaw production of:

NINE DISCRETE SIZZLE REELS 5 Produced in-house 4 Produced by vendors

A COMPREHENSIVE DESIGN PACKAGE Environmental & On-screen graphics Program & Other Printed Materials Down to our Email signatures

The Upfront was a huge success. Advertisers and The Press were on our side.

We had 3 out of 4:

CARRIAGE PARTNERS

CONTENT PARTNERS

FANS

ADVERTISERS

Agreements with Comcast, Charter Communications, Cox Communications, Verizon FiOS,AT&T U-verse, Cablevision, Bright House Networks, Mediacom, Suddenlink Communications, Cable One , Time Warner Cable, DirecTV and Dish Network had us in 90 MILLION HOMES

Agreements with NFL, MLB, College Leagues, NASCAR and The UFC guaranteed competitive content starting on DAY 1

The Upfront convinced advertisers to bet heavily on FOX SPORTS 1

But without the 4th… it meant NOTHING

It was time to speak directly to the consumer.

To represent the diversity of voices on FOX SPORTS 1, we commissioned a slate of network IDs, called “Stingers” from 24 of the best agencies in the world.

The on-air launch campaign included this extraordinary promo.

By combining world-class production value with a sense of irreverence, we simultaneously communicated

CREDIBILITY to our partners, and FUN to our fans.

We heavily promoted Fox Sports 1's launch through its various TV, online & social media platforms, including appearances of Fox Sports 1 talent on existing Fox programming & online posting of its shows' pre-launch rehearsals

The UFC and it’s reality show, The Ultimate Fighter

were central to our strategy

We partnered with multiple agencies to create a launch campaign and design toolkit for UFC fights as well as The Ultimate Fighter

August 17, 2013

“Good morning and welcome to the very first day of Fox Sports 1. Here on America's new sports network, our promise to you is that we will share your passion for the game, never take ourselves too seriously, and, most importantly, never put ourselves above the game nor the athletes. We will be informative without ever sacrificing accuracy. We work for you, the fan, and every day we will live up to this simple promise. Now let's get on with the show.”

“Fox Sports 1 got off to a solid start on its first day.

The channel, which launched Saturday in about 90 million homes, drew an average of 1.7 million viewers in primetime (8-11 p.m. ET), according to Nielsen Media Research Fast National data, with a broadcast of UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Sonnen.”

The rest, as they say, is history.