In Latin America, branded content and entertainment is becoming increasingly embraced by the marketing community.

It has become more important than ever for marketers and brands to work more closely and effectively with media owners. Media companies, after all, are the experts in creating, managing, distributing and marketing content – and most importantly, they understand their audience, and understand how to best access and engage with them. This shift from the traditional advertising model has empowered media owners to assume an agency-role, consulting brands on how to showcase their personality by creating engaging, entertaining, and informative content.

It is this trend towards effective branded content that paved the way for ESPN’s Capitales del Futbol, presentado por MasterCard.

Give an overview of the whole campaign or project from start to finish, in order of implementation. Describe the challenge, the objectives, the strategy and the execution.(300 words).

MasterCard approached us wanting a new marketing platform that would accomplish three goals: First, to strengthen their association with football in Latin America, and with the passion of their fans. Next, to drive transactions to their local merchant partners in Latin America. And finally, they wanted to complement their long-running 'Priceless' campaign by giving consumers unique, 'once-in-a-lifetime opportunities'. Understanding that Visa had a stronghold on football sponsorships, our challenge was to present MasterCard as the brand that understood the unique mindset, attitudes, and interests of the Latin American sports fan.

Our solution was 'Capitales del Futbol (Football Capitals)', the first documentary series to profile the world’s greatest football cities – places where 'priceless' football experiences truly live. We teamed up with an Academy-Award® winning production company to capture the sights, sounds, culture and lifestyle in each city. What resulted was a remarkable experience for Latin American men; an informative and entertaining journey to the world’s premiere destinations, where they discovered more about the cities and football than they ever would have imagined. And to show how MasterCard can enhance the fan experience even further, we produced 22 'When You Visit' vignettes, showcasing the best places in each city to use MasterCard to stay, eat, shop, and more. The vignettes then drove viewers online, where they discovered how MasterCard can unlock even more priceless experiences around the world – with exclusive offers and experiences that none of their competitors can provide.

It’s branded content at its best – a universal and powerful concept that can be activated at the local, regional, or global level, connecting with fans on an emotional level, while entertaining them, educating them, and even enhancing their lives.

The expansion strategy will continue into 2013 and beyond, with Capitales del Futbol’s third season, as well as 2014’s Capitales de Brazil, a series profiling the 2014 FIFA World Cup host cities.

The first season of Capitales del Futbol drew over 7 million viewers in 2011. For 2012, we needed to excite returning viewers, and entice new fans. We accomplished this with a multimedia promotional campaign beginning well in advance of the series premiere, which included:

 custom TV promos.

 cross-promotion across popular studio shows (SportsCenter, Cronometro, etc.)

 editorial and digital support on espn.com

New for season two was enhanced social media promotion, including:

 exclusive Facebook fanpage.

 Tweets and Facebook posts from ESPN.

 Tweets and Facebook posts from the renowned teams and players from the show.

Season one's seven made it the highest rated original series in ESPN’s history in Latin America. The 11.5+ million viewers in 2012 shattered this record, proving that fans respond to remarkable sports stories, and having a great brand associated with the program enhances it. A Fan Forum study found that 94% of viewers of the show were more likely to use their MasterCard after watching; 61% most associate MasterCard with the passion for football (nearest competitor: 29%). But most telling for MasterCard: fans now associate the brand with Capitales more than any of their more high-profile sports sponsorships, including UEFA Champions League, MLB, and PGA Tour.

Our Facebook page launched prior to the premiere of season 2, and it's taken off. It’s now approaching 250,000 engaged fans, plus: over 200,000 post likes, 30,000 comments, 15,000 shares, and 50,000 poll responses.

On Twitter, thousands of fans have been joined by influential ESPN personalities, and superstar players and teams, to spread the word about the series. And there is perhaps no greater barometer of success than those 7 million Twitter impressions, attained by a genuine and unprompted desire for people to share their passion for football with the rest of the world.