• by Wayne Friedman , August 11, 2009

ESPN Deportes has had its own "SportsCenter" program since 2004 - -but only now has launched its first full-scale advertising campaign.

The campaign, "SportsCenter Makes You A Sports Expert," features major soccer star Lionel Messi, Mexican professional boxer Juan Manuel Márquez, soccer goalkeeper Oscar 'El Conejo' Pérez, Colombian actor Andrés Palacio and Mexican rock band Molotov.

The campaign, from the Spanish-language sports network, will be rolled out this week and includes TV, radio, print, out-of-home and online.

Four TV spots -- each featuring a different Latin celebrity -- showcase their vast sports knowledge -- in "SportsCenter"'s typical humorous bent found in the English-language promos. This campaign focuses on athletes, celebrities and average fans showing themselves as overall 'sports experts' -- all because they watch SportsCenter.

For example, Messi answers a sports crossword while waiting for a table in a restaurant. The band Molotov shares their sports knowledge with friends while playing pool. Boxer Márquez and soccer goalkeeper Perez discuss the sports world while playing Wii at home. Actor Palacio shares his sports knowledge with a young boy while barbequing.

"We felt that the timing to launch this campaign was right, especially given the leadership position that ESPN Deportes has carved out in the Spanish-language media industry -- in great part driven by the network's news and information programs led by 'SportsCenter,'" says Maribel Viteri, marketing director for ESPN Deportes.

Hispanic Agency LatinWorks produced and filmed the spots in Mexico and Los Angeles.

For many years, the original English-language version, ESPN's "SportsCenter," has had its own TV campaigns, created by Wieden & Kennedy, Portland, Ore.