Already announcing its arrival in College Station for Saturdays A&M-Florida game, ESPN College GameDay the networks flagship college football program will be officially debuting its commercial featuring A&Ms Midnight Yell tradition starting Monday.
The commercial, filmed July 31 at Kyle Field, attempts to blend the tradition of Midnight Yell with a touch of comedy. Uploaded to YouTube Thursday, the video placed online due to postponement of the Louisiana Tech game gave fans the full-version of the commercial before its television release.
This specific commercial spot was unique given ESPNs placement of the opportunity for an on-campus commercial to a vote, the first such contest in GameDay history. A&M competed within a field of 124 FBS schools and edged Nebraska for the chance to bring ESPN College GameDay to campus, giving the University a chance for additional exposure throughout the 2012 college football season.
Its a tremendous payoff for all the Aggies who voted in the online campus. Its a 45-second commercial and its an opportunity for us to spotlight one of our most unique and cherished traditions in front of a national television audience, said Jason Cook, A&M vice president for marketing and communications. I think the commercial turned out extremely well and Texas A&M fans will be very proud of it.
Generating a buzz among fans, the YouTube version of the commercial surpassed 100,000 views as of Sunday night. Featuring ESPN talent including Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreet, Tom Rinaldi and Desmond Howard, the commercial showcases a highly recognizable cast. The ad should only continue to receive publicity come Mondays television release.
Fredrik Treven, a junior electrical engineering major, said the commercial spot was a testament to the dedication of the A&M fan base.
Its pretty big because, one, it was a contest that we won, which shows how committed and large our fan base is, Treven said. Secondly, a bunch of people showed up to the actual commercial shoot, which is another testament to the very same thing.
The debut of the commercial comes on the heels of the announcement ESPN College GameDay will be broadcasting live from College Station on Saturday morning. The presence of the show only adds fuel to what is expected to be one of the most intense atmospheres in Kyle Field history.
Junior marketing major Liz Gunther said its about time GameDay made its way back to Aggieland.
Its exciting that ESPN College GameDays going to be here because it hasnt been here in so long, not since 2006, Gunther said. The fact its A&Ms first SEC game will have everyone especially pumped and excited.