Newsletter
Chika Raps About All the Goodies on the ESPN App
'One tap. That's that. Sing it back!'
Who’s up for a cavalcade of beats, rhymes and images celebrating sports, popular culture and the ESPN app?
Emerging rapper Chika fetes old-school icons and current stars in a fast-paced spot from Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners that debuted on Sunday’s American Music Awards. Athletes and celebs pop up via game footage and program clips as Chika wields the wordplay, declaring that ESPN offers the only sports app you’ll ever need:
“One app. One tap. That’s that.
One swipe. One slide. Sing it back!”
A verse about live coverage fetes Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (a recording artist in his own right) and Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson:
“One app running with elite QBs.
Russell got the cannon throwing clutch TDs.
Lillard crosses over, steps back behind the line.
No need to watch the clock, you know it’s Dame Time.”
ESPN’s documentaries inspire shoutouts to Bruce Lee, Bo Jackson and the legendary University of Michigan men’s basketball squads of the early ’90s:
“One app with the 30 for 30’s
Two finger pushups, Bruce showin’ no mercy
Fab Five, got the crew on deck
Best believe Bo Knows, OG dual threat.”
These bits put the game plan in perspective, with winks to the network’s analysts:
“One app lets you follow any team,
Any league, player, you control the whole scene.
Plugged in, got the stories on the scroll—
Schefter dishin’ news like it’s food for the soul.”
One app and Van Pelt with the facts—
One Big Thing, droppin’ knowledge in your laps.
Always on the pulse, yeah we got it goin on,
So listen up, take shelter, here comes a WOJbomb!
No one else goes deeper, it’s a fact.
One slide, one tap, that’s the ESPN app.”
The app already leads its market with a 60 percent share, so the campaign constitutes a bit of victory lap. Plus, it highlights recent design tweaks for a product ESPN views as “the gateway to everything we have to offer,” according to the cable network’s vice president of brand marketing, Seth Ader.
The team tapped Chika based on her “swagger and a unique style,” says BSSP executive producer Fearghal O’Dea. “She’s an artist who’s getting a lot of attention right now, and everyone on the team loves her cool vocal style and delivery. We thought her energy would be the perfect complement to the visual energy of the spot.”
As for the synthesis of sports and music, agency strategy director Jake Bayham believes that’s always a winning play:
“From Drake on court and LeBron on stage, to Dame Lillard’s third album drop, music and sport have always gone hand in hand,” he says. “Whether it’s music’s ability to amplify the fan experience or the deep-rooted cultural overlap between athlete and artist, music brings us closer to the game we love.”
CREDITS
ESPN
Laura Gentile: Senior Vice President, Marketing
Seth Ader: Vice President, Brand Marketing
Peter Mulally: Director, Brand Marketing
Stacey Pressman: Director, Talent Production
Kevin Wilson: Music Director
John Lobo: Manager, Brand Marketing
Spencer Shaev: Brand Marketing Coordinator
Jonathan Little: Associate Producer II
1stAveMachine
Director: Diego Berakha
Executive Producer: Nick Litwinko
Post Producer: Toby Rubin-Sowers
Editor: Joe Bosch
Illustration: Nahuel Rollan, Juan Barabani
Animation: Ben Nichols, Cyril Izarn, Federica Intelisano, Lucia Vidal, Ofir Shoham
Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners
Sinan Dagli: Group Creative Director
Kelly Bernard: Art Director
Rodd Naimi: Copywriter
Jake Bayham: Strategy Director
Fearghal O’Dea: Executive Producer
Tony Bossard: Account Supervisor
Patrick Kiss: President
