Kirk Herbstreit always describes it when he sees a Hail Mary go by. In recent weeks, he’s been helping fans pitch.
The ESPN and Amazon Prime Video sportscasters are part of an AT&T promotion called “Clutch Calls:” that helps fans send messages to college football players, some of which are featured on social media. “These athletes are obviously very busy. They play this sport year-round,” Herbstreit said in a recent interview. “They want to stay connected to family and friends.”
The communications giant will be on hand to promote promotions Monday night when the Miami Hurricanes are about to take on the Indiana Hoosiers.
College football continues to grow in popularity, and the simple fact is that college games now fill the majority of Saturday night television schedules. And because college football attracts fans young and old, Herbstreit said advertisers will look to reach them through both traditional and digital media.
It’s no longer just a type of mainstream media. “Social media is usually part of the deal,” he says. It’s usually not one or the other. Often both. ” AT&T has long proven itself willing to experiment with new forms of reaching consumers, from its sponsorship of Fox’s “American Idol,” which let fans use their phones to express their support for contestants, to an early version of what is now called “microcontent,” to a social media series called @SummerBreak that followed kids just out of high school during their last summer at home.
Herbstreit has experience interacting with younger consumers. He regularly visits college campuses for ESPN’s “College GameDay,” the Disney-backed network’s Saturday afternoon marquee show. “There may be 15,000 people around our set, and a lot of them are college kids who are excited about their team.” He likes to walk around campus with his 2-year-old golden retriever, Peter, and talk to passersby.
“He’s almost becoming a national mascot,” he says of his pet. “People sometimes start crying when they see him. It’s the craziest phenomenon I’ve ever encountered.” But it’s also “a chance for him to meet fans and take pictures.”
I don’t know if I need to help with AT&T’s “clutch call” on Monday right now, but I would be happy to help if asked. “I have a son who is currently attending the University of Michigan, so I can relate to the desire to connect with loved ones,” he says. “I think it’s always important to be able to do that.”
