Posted by chicagomedia.org on October 08, 2008 at 09:55:41:
Comcast SportsNet doesn't dog it on talent
ADVERTISING | Spot highlights station's nearly 20 sportscasters -- and bulldog mascot
Chicago's Comcast SportsNet has established itself as the go-to cable channel for watching many of the city's top professional sports teams, including the White Sox, Cubs, Bulls and Blackhawks. Some sports fans might understandably argue whether all the aforementioned teams are truly top drawer, but regardless, CSN is where to watch them play.
To its credit, CSN management had the foresight to ensure it also has on board an extensive lineup of insightful play-by-play announcers and color commentators. And this fall CSN and its marketing honcho, Jaclene Tetzlaff, have opted to focus their advertising efforts on the breadth and depth of that talent, ranging from Ken "Hawk" Harrelson, Dan Jiggetts and David Kaplan to Mark Schanowski, Pat Foley and Bill Melton -- altogether a team of nearly 20 sportscasters.
CSN and its media agency AnswersMedia/Chicago managed to squeeze all of them into a debut television commercial shot at Harry Caray's Tavern in Wrigleyville, where the camera does a very slow pan across the bar to capture all the talent chatting amongst themselves. We mustn't leave out one "talent" seen in the commercial that has become an integral part of CSN's marketing efforts.
That would be Deep Dish, the cable channel's bulldog mascot, who has a prime spot at the bar along with his bright red water dish. We were surprised, frankly, that the rest of CSN's human talent agreed to do the commercial with Deep Dish. Show biz veterans know it's never smart to share the stage with animals, because they invariably upstage lesser mortals. And in that regard, Deep Dish, with his amusingly crinkled mug, definitely doesn't disappoint.
(Lewis Lazare, Chicago Sun-Times)