Honda Takes to the Field with ESPN College Football; Expands Marketing Integration to Become Musical Pulse of College Football Coverage
- Honda Stage to be "Official Music Sponsor of ESPN College Football"
- Social media component to include "Helmet Stickers" segment on ESPN2 College Football Final
- Multi-year agreement builds on Honda relationship with ESPN
TORRANCE, Calif., Sept. 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Through a multi-year agreement that builds on a long relationship with ESPN, Honda has launched an integrated marketing campaign in support of ESPN's college football programming, extending the automaker's reach to a younger, more active audience. Honda will have a presence during college football segments in SportsCenter and Honda's groundbreaking, 360-degree music platform, Honda Stage (www.youtube.com/hondastage), now becomes the new musical soundtrack to ESPN's college football programming for the 2014 season. The designation as "Official Music Sponsor of ESPN College Football" and presenting sponsor of the ESPN2 College Football Final "Helmet Stickers" segment kicked off with ESPN's season-opening matchups on Saturday, Aug. 30.
"ESPN college football is among the most-watched live television programs and represents a great opportunity to leverage our investment in music and sports to connect the Honda brand with an engaged audience of young and active viewers while showcasing the latest Honda vehicle offerings, including the all-new 2015 Honda Fit," said Tom Peyton, assistant vice president of marketing, American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "ESPN pioneered the integration of music into sports programming and the addition of exclusive Honda Stage performance music to its college football line-up allows Honda the opportunity to connect with an expanded audience and introduce them to new music through our online platform."
"We're always looking for new, inventive ways to incorporate our sponsors. Honda Stage sets the perfect tone for college football and our coverage," added Eric Johnson, executive vice president, ESPN Customer Marketing and Sales.
Honda is now featured throughout the 2014 ESPN College Football telecasts. The full integration includes:
- On-set Honda and Honda Stage branding as well as custom content on the 8am ET segment of SportsCenter
- Unique musical montages featuring Honda Stage artists during halftime of ABC's Saturday afternoon games Presenting sponsor of ESPN College Football Scoreboard, with a full Honda Stage music performance integrated into the highlights of earlier games
- Presenting sponsor of ESPN2's College Football Final "Helmet Stickers" segment honoring the best plays and players of the day
The integration with the "Helmet Stickers" segment includes a social engagement element with fans encouraged via a live on-air callout and weekly social promotion to tweet the play that got them most fired up and deserving of a helmet sticker. Fans can tweet at select ESPN social handles (@ESPNCFB & @CollegeGameDay) to recognize players that they find to be most deserving of the ESPN and Honda co-branded helmet sticker award.
About Honda Stage
Honda Stage is a unique 360-degree, multi-platform music program designed to meet music fans where they are already searching for and consuming music. This new music platform brings together an unprecedented group of entertainment and technology leaders, including Clear Channel, to produce and distribute some of the best original, high-quality, music content available under the new Honda Stage name, through dozens of live events at the iHeartRadio Theater Los Angeles and exclusive online content.
About Honda
Honda offers a full line of reliable, fuel-efficient and fun-to-drive automobiles for American car buyers through approximately 1,000 independent U.S. Honda dealers. The Honda lineup includes the Accord, Crosstour, Civic, Fit, CR-Z and Insight along with the Pilot, and CR-V sport-utility vehicles and the Odyssey minivan.
Honda has the highest brand fuel economy1 and the longest-lasting cars2 of any mainstream automotive brand in America, and more models achieving an IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK+ rating than any other automotive nameplate.
Honda has been producing automobiles in America for more than 30 years and currently operates 16 major manufacturing facilities in North America. In 2013, more than 94 percent of all Honda vehicles sold in U.S. were made in North America, using domestic and globally sourced parts.
1 Based on model year 2012 fuel economy data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and its report: "Light-Duty Automotive Technology, Carbon Dioxide Emissions, and Fuel Economy Trends: 1975 Through 2013."
2 Longevity based on IHS Automotive, Polk U.S. vehicles in operation registration statistics 1988-2012 for Honda and non-luxury competing brands.
About ESPN
ESPN, the world's leading sports entertainment company, features more than 50 assets – seven U.S. television networks, ESPN International, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, ESPN The Magazine, and more. ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc. (an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) and 20 percent by The Hearst Corporation.
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SOURCE Honda
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