NBC is betting that Ray Romano and Sebastian Maniscalco tossing some bruschetta down the ice can get viewers amped up concerning the forthcoming Winter Olympics in Italy subsequent yr.
NBC Sports activities this week will use the Kentucky Derby to launch a advertising and marketing marketing campaign for subsequent yr’s Milano Cortina video games, leaning in to 2 of probably the most well-known and humorous Italian People to assist it achieve this.
“Who higher to speak a few Winter Olympics in Italy than two very Italian guys?” jokes Jenny Storms, CMO of tv and streaming for NBCUniversal, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
The spot, which was filmed with the assistance of Industrial Gentle & Magic to recreate the Italian Alps on a set in Los Angeles, sees the comics debating which winter sports activities they wish to attempt, from a mountaintop with snowboards to skeleton and luge, earlier than deciding on the way more reasonably-paced curling, and perhaps a bowl of pasta on the aspect.
“It’s a enjoyable alternative to us to infuse Italy and on the identical time and discuss concerning the thrilling adrenaline-filled sports activities which might be coming in just a few brief months right here,” Storms says.
The spot is a continuation of kinds from NBC’s Paris Olympics protection, the place the corporate actually leaned into celebrities to assist promote the video games, each in its promotional efforts, and in the course of the video games themselves, the place Snoop Dogg emerged as a fan favourite.
“We definitely really feel just like the playbook [with the Paris Olympics] was extraordinarily profitable, so we’re taking quite a lot of cues from that playbook and transferring them and evolving them as we transfer to Milano Cortina,” Storms says. “That is an evolution and continuation of that playbook which is kind of sparking dialog and moving into the cultural dialog with connecting with superstar.”
And the marketing campaign will kickstart an almost year-long effort to get People amped up concerning the winter Olympics and all it entails.
“People need extra Olympics of their on a regular basis dialog,” Storms says. “That was very clear once we talked to individuals, they wish to be speaking concerning the Olympics and these athletes, not as soon as each 4 years, they needed it to be a part of the cultural dialog 12 months a yr. e simply must do it in the appropriate means, the related means.”
Or as Maniscalco places it: “Ray and I teamed up for the Olympics—two Italian guys attempting to determine winter sports activities. Let’s simply say, we thought ‘luge’ was a sort of Pasta.”