• by Aaron Baar , October 5, 2010

Steve Nash is known to many as a star basketball player. But apparently, he wants to be known for more.

In a new viral campaign for EA Sports, Nash -- point guard for the Phoenix Suns -- demonstrates his desire to become part of EA's Pro Player Challenge, a gaming tournament featuring soccer stars from around the world to promote the company's FIFA 11 title.

"We're aware -- after the World Cup -- that a lot of consumers have been brought into the sport that might not fit our normal target, " Sam Cooper, global head of marketing for EA's FIFA 11 game, tells Marketing Daily. "It's a good way to get to a broader audience."

In the first video of the viral campaign, Nash appears at an L.A. poolside, talking to a camera about challenging L.A. Galaxy star Landon Donovan in the tournament. "I've been playing soccer my whole life. It takes a special athlete," Nash says, before admitting that he's played the video game "at least four or five times." Nash's assertions are intercut with Donovan saying he's been playing the video game his whole life and that passion for a sport doesn't necessarily translate into success at it. "It's going to be a stretch for him to beat me," Donovan says.

The effort, which will include more videos rolling out in the coming weeks, is intended to supplement a more traditional global advertising campaign for FIFA 11 that banks on the notoriety of international soccer stars for international fans. For North America, where the sport is less popular and its stars are not as well-known, using Nash -- who is part owner of the Vancouver Whitecaps soccer team -- is a way to raise awareness of the game in a different manner, Cooper says.

"This moves away from the epic nature of our core advertising," Cooper says. "I wanted to move away from that and do something funny."

Due to the convergence of the game's release (in late September), the beginning of the NBA season and the end of the MLS season, the videos featuring Nash and Donovan will be seeded through several different channels, including sites that would draw in fans of the NBA and Phoenix Suns, soccer fans and EA's own database, as well as places where people might find the videos organically, Cooper says.