ESPN and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority begin a new television and digital promotion for Las Vegas today which includes a contest that will send three people to play golf with “SportsCenter” anchor Jay Harris.
Television ads will run through June 6 with a 10-second, open-ended “mini-mercial” airing during “Sports Center” broadcasts, featuring Harris inviting a group of friends to Las Vegas because they deserve a vacation.
At the end of the TV spot, viewers will be directed to a web site and three different endings to the commercial. Viewers will be encouraged to vote for their favorite ending. Voting enters them in the contest.
The spot debuts during today’s 6 p.m. EDT edition of “SportsCenter.” Throughout the campaign, it will run on different days at that time and in the 9 and 10 p.m. PDT “SportsCenter” from Los Angeles.
“It’s really more than just an advertisement,” said ESPN spokeswoman Kristen Hudak. “It’s an interactive consumer engagement promotion.”
The promotion was coordinated locally by the LVCVA’s advertising consultant, R&R Partners.
The partnership with ESPN is a first for the LVCVA, but the city’s largest tourism marketing organization often touts the city as a leading destination for sports enthusiasts with past support of the National Finals Rodeo, NASCAR, the National Hockey League, boxing and the USA Sevens rugby tournament.
Interactive commercials using social media or website directs is a growing ad industry trend with some ads directing viewers to web pages or by encouraging voting with text messages.
The LVCVA said the spot and contest are a "value added component" to its annual advertising contract with ESPN. In the past few years, the LVCVA has spent from $1 million to $3 million advertising on the sports network.