Gilberto Santa Rosa and Johnny Ventura infuse ESPN Deportes’ 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 colossal 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,” said Michelle Bella, VP, consumer and ad sales for ESPN Deportes.  “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”
 
This was the first time the duo collaborated with the ESPN brand.
 
“It was a wonderful experience to take part in the video shoot alongside my colleague and friend Johnny Ventura,” said Gilberto Santa Rosa. “I’m confident that Latino audiences who tune into ESPN Deportes will enjoy the videos, which will get them excited about the upcoming winter baseball league.”
 
Added Johnny Ventura, “It was an honor to collaborate with an artist like Gilberto Santa Rosa, and a privilege to have been selected to work with a prestigious brand like ESPN Deportes.  This opportunity allowed me to work with a great group of professional staff, which will surely deliver a final product that we can all be proud of.”  
 
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.