NEW YORK, NY -- 04/12/10 -- Young & Rubicam announced today that it has formed an unprecedented partnership with Fox Sports Net (FSN) to develop original client-sponsored programming.
"Head to Head" -- an original TV series created and produced by Young & Rubicam as part of its advertising relationship with privately owned wireless provider Cellular South -- follows two rival Mississippi high school football coaches, their teams, the schools and the communities as they make their way through the 2009 season. Beginning April 12, the 12-episode series will air nationally across various FSN affiliates, reaching over 85 million households.
About Young & Rubicam
Young & Rubicam originally developed "Head to Head" as part of its innovative and successful 2009 branded entertainment campaign for Cellular South. The wildly popular series drew millions of viewers when it aired in key Southern markets last fall. Cellular South initially tasked the agency to design and drive traffic to their user-generated web channel. But Young & Rubicam saw the potential to develop a campaign that could excite an entire community and appeal to broad audiences.
Through the agreement, Young & Rubicam will provide FSN with the "Head to Head" series with Cellular South as the presenting sponsor. Additionally, Young & Rubicam and FSN -- in conjunction with Home Team Sports (HTS), FSN's affiliate network partner -- will work together to secure advertisers for high school football integration opportunities across a variety of mediums.
"This is a new approach to our business that we are excited to explore as an agency," said Tony Granger, Global Chief Creative Officer. In this case, Cellular South serves customers who have a passion for big time Friday night high school football. "Our ultimate goal is create entertaining content with broad national appeal, but with special appeal to the target prospects of an individual client. Partnerships like this allow us to share intellectual copyrights and revenues while engaging consumers and providing our clients with multiplatform opportunities that help them achieve their business goals."
"'Head to Head' proves that Young & Rubicam can deliver compelling content that appeals to a wide audience," said David Sussin, FSN's VP of Programming. "We love the show and are excited to bring it to our affiliates and their viewers across the country."