• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, December 21, 2007

ESPN is planning a multi-platform push to celebrate the 10th anniversary of ESPN The Magazine next year that includes a special issue, as well as a TV special and radio and Web elements.

In what is becoming near-standard at ESPN, the company has created sponsorship opportunities for the anniversary across various media. An unnamed auto marketer has signed as the presenting sponsor and Under Armour as one of the associate sponsors, but other advertiser opportunities remain.

ESPN says 70% of all deals valued at $2 million or more include creative on at least one off-air platform.

As an example of how wide-ranging the sponsorships are, the presenting sponsor will have a gatefold in the special 10th anniversary magazine issue (on sale March 12); a presence on the prime-time TV special Feb. 17 that chronicles the magazine's history; a role in a dedicated video-rich Web site; and mentions on the "Mike & Mike" morning radio show.

There will also be 10th anniversary live events to be held in New York and Los Angeles in March.

"It's really a multimedia idea generated from the magazine and the tone of the magazine," said Eric Johnson, executive vice president, multimedia sales, ESPN customer marketing and sales.

All together, ESPN estimates the 10th anniversary push will reach more than 42 million people, with a significant percentage of young men. The demo is the company's calling card in its pitch to advertisers.

The twice-a-month magazine "for a new generation" is believed to offer a younger-skewing readership (median age estimated at 32) than competitor Sports Illustrated. And while it trails in both circulation and ad pages, it is growing at a faster rate.

The actual 10th anniversary issue will include multiple, double-sided covers. The front half of the magazine will focus on the past 10 years and topics such as the rise of fantasy sports and women's sports. The second will look ahead to the would-be luminaries of the next 10 years and offer some in-depth predictions.

There will also be a section called "My First Cover," which will feature athletes such as Phoenix Sun Steve Nash and Philadelphia Phillie Ryan Howard, who made their national cover debut on ESPN The Magazine.

After the Feb. 17 one-hour TV special, there will be a series of 60-second vignettes running on the network and other platforms. About half of the interstitial will be editorial/entertainment video, and half sponsor message. "We create associations that allow advertisers visibility and ownership that goes along with it," Johnson said.

The radio aspect includes similar interstitials with a 30-second feature by an ESPN Radio personality, followed by a linked spot. ESPN Radio personalities will also promote the 10th anniversary in on-air reads and in other fashions.

As some magazines have struggled in the consumer migration to the Internet, ESPN continues to invest in its publication as an important part of both its editorial expansion and multi-platform sales operations.

Over the first six months of 2007, ESPN The Magazine saw subscriptions rise 5.5% to about 2.1 million, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations. Newsstand sales--a small part of its distribution--were about flat at 26,000. Total ad pages increased 7.3% versus a year ago (to 1,190) for the first nine months of 2007, according to the Publishers Information Bureau.

At Sports Illustrated, subscriptions were up 1.6% to 3.2 million, but newsstand sales--also a small portion--fell 12.1% to 87,000. Total ad pages were up 2.4% to 1,508.

On the editorial front, magazine writers and editors are increasingly appearing on an array of other ESPN platforms, including a new ESPN The Magazine talk show on Sirius. The publication recently hired famed columnist Rick Reilly from SI.

Keith Clinkscales, an ESPN senior vice president, said: "ESPN Publishing, ESPN Content Development and ESPN Consumer Products are all managed under one umbrella, so that provides The Magazine an opportunity to work with ESPN initiatives--from the ESPYs and X Games to the development of new content and documentaries. In short, the broader ESPN expands its reach, the more opportunities that are created for the magazine and its content to reach and engage the consumer."