University of Minnesota Athletics
"This is Big Ten Country" Campaign Launched
7/15/2007 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
The Big Ten Network continues its countdown to an Aug. 30 kickoff with the launch of an advertising campaign built on the tagline “This is Big Ten Country.”
The television, radio, print, outdoor and online campaign will initially reach 30 Midwestern markets and include university-specific creative in addition to general Big Ten Network branding. The campaign was created by the Chicago-based advertising firm Tom, Dick and Harry (TD&H).
Commercials and print ads focus on the unique and authentic rituals and traditions of each of the universities, from Iowa fans’ reputation for following their teams both home and away to Badger fans who “jump around” before the fourth quarter of every football game. Each of the television commercials ends with the voiceover stating: “This is Big Ten Country. And this is where it lives,” as the Big Ten Network logo appears.
“The Big Ten has a wonderful history of both athletic and academic excellence, and the campaign taps into that history,” said Big Ten Network Vice President of Marketing Erin Harvego. “With so many traditions to highlight, it makes for a really rich campaign. To be a Big Ten alum or fan is to hang a flag in front of your house on game day. People live and die for their teams. We wanted to capture this passion in a way that is authentic to each Big Ten university.”
TD&H Managing Partner Greg Reifel said the firm’s research confirmed what Big Ten fans know: that these universities are much more than a collection of major athletic teams.
“The universities that make up the Big Ten are a way of life for a good part of the United States,” said Reifel. “There’s a Big Ten mindset that is big, bold and proud. And collectively they’re defined by a culture that is associated with a deep-felt attachment and sense of belonging to their schools, their states and the entire Midwest. It’s definitely a mindset that is proud of the Midwestern values that these schools demonstrate every day.”
Harvego said the campaign also will help the network connect with a fan base eager to learn everything it can about the Big Ten Network. “The network will be THE destination for fans who just can’t get enough of anything related to their teams. By focusing on the nuances of the Big Ten schools and sharing in the devotion and pride of its fans, the Big Ten Network will be the preeminent authority on all things Big Ten.”
The network’s official launch comes two days before the kick-off of the 2007 Big Ten college football season. Big Ten Tonight, a nightly studio show hosted by Dave Revsine, will preview the upcoming season and closely examine all of the weekend’s conference teams in action. The network will air more live events in HD than any other new network in television history. And the network recently announced a commitment to gender equality by 2010, when all Big Ten Network-controlled television, Internet and mobile media will provide equal men’s and women’s athletic coverage.
The network has national agreements with DirecTV and AT&T’s U-verseSM service, as well as a major regional agreement with Buckeye Cable. In addition, 75 cable systems throughout the Midwest have commitments to carry the network. All agreements call for the network to be carried on the expanded basic level of service.
In addition to its 24-hour standard and HD channels, the Big Ten Network will also offer distributors a dynamic video-on-demand programming service and a rich broadband video package for their high-speed Internet customers. The network’s rate specific to the Midwest is two-thirds less than what Comcast charges for its own regional sports networks, and the cost to operators everywhere else is less than at least 65 other national networks.
The Big Ten Conference is the majority owner of Big Ten Network, with its proceeds divided equally among the 11 conference member universities. These proceeds will assist Big Ten Conference member institutions in operating their respective athletic programs in a self-sustaining manner, without university subsidy or allocation of state funding, enabling additional revenue to flow to research, the arts and other scholastic endeavors.
Shortly after its Aug. 30 premiere, and throughout the new 2007-2008 academic year, Big Ten Network will begin working with Big Ten institutions to become part of the curriculum and incorporate student production from Big Ten Network-sponsored campus facilities into its core operations. Big Ten Network and its partners have similarly committed to professional internships for Big Ten students and career placement services in their own major media operations.
About the Big Ten Network: Launching this August, the Big Ten Network is dedicated to covering the Big Ten Conference and its 11 member institutions. The Big Ten Network will provide unprecedented access to an extensive schedule of conference sports events and shows; original programs in academics, the arts and sciences; campus activities; and associated personalities. Sports programming will include live coverage of more major men’s and women’s events than ever before, along with news, highlights and analysis, all complemented by hours of university-produced campus programming. The network is available to all cable and satellite carriers and television distributors nationwide, with most programs offered in stunning high-definition television (HDTV). The Big Ten Network is a joint venture between subsidiaries of the Big Ten Conference and Fox Cable Networks. For more information regarding the Big Ten Network, visit www.BigTenNetwork.com.
The television, radio, print, outdoor and online campaign will initially reach 30 Midwestern markets and include university-specific creative in addition to general Big Ten Network branding. The campaign was created by the Chicago-based advertising firm Tom, Dick and Harry (TD&H).
Commercials and print ads focus on the unique and authentic rituals and traditions of each of the universities, from Iowa fans’ reputation for following their teams both home and away to Badger fans who “jump around” before the fourth quarter of every football game. Each of the television commercials ends with the voiceover stating: “This is Big Ten Country. And this is where it lives,” as the Big Ten Network logo appears.
“The Big Ten has a wonderful history of both athletic and academic excellence, and the campaign taps into that history,” said Big Ten Network Vice President of Marketing Erin Harvego. “With so many traditions to highlight, it makes for a really rich campaign. To be a Big Ten alum or fan is to hang a flag in front of your house on game day. People live and die for their teams. We wanted to capture this passion in a way that is authentic to each Big Ten university.”
TD&H Managing Partner Greg Reifel said the firm’s research confirmed what Big Ten fans know: that these universities are much more than a collection of major athletic teams.
“The universities that make up the Big Ten are a way of life for a good part of the United States,” said Reifel. “There’s a Big Ten mindset that is big, bold and proud. And collectively they’re defined by a culture that is associated with a deep-felt attachment and sense of belonging to their schools, their states and the entire Midwest. It’s definitely a mindset that is proud of the Midwestern values that these schools demonstrate every day.”
Harvego said the campaign also will help the network connect with a fan base eager to learn everything it can about the Big Ten Network. “The network will be THE destination for fans who just can’t get enough of anything related to their teams. By focusing on the nuances of the Big Ten schools and sharing in the devotion and pride of its fans, the Big Ten Network will be the preeminent authority on all things Big Ten.”
The network’s official launch comes two days before the kick-off of the 2007 Big Ten college football season. Big Ten Tonight, a nightly studio show hosted by Dave Revsine, will preview the upcoming season and closely examine all of the weekend’s conference teams in action. The network will air more live events in HD than any other new network in television history. And the network recently announced a commitment to gender equality by 2010, when all Big Ten Network-controlled television, Internet and mobile media will provide equal men’s and women’s athletic coverage.
The network has national agreements with DirecTV and AT&T’s U-verseSM service, as well as a major regional agreement with Buckeye Cable. In addition, 75 cable systems throughout the Midwest have commitments to carry the network. All agreements call for the network to be carried on the expanded basic level of service.
In addition to its 24-hour standard and HD channels, the Big Ten Network will also offer distributors a dynamic video-on-demand programming service and a rich broadband video package for their high-speed Internet customers. The network’s rate specific to the Midwest is two-thirds less than what Comcast charges for its own regional sports networks, and the cost to operators everywhere else is less than at least 65 other national networks.
The Big Ten Conference is the majority owner of Big Ten Network, with its proceeds divided equally among the 11 conference member universities. These proceeds will assist Big Ten Conference member institutions in operating their respective athletic programs in a self-sustaining manner, without university subsidy or allocation of state funding, enabling additional revenue to flow to research, the arts and other scholastic endeavors.
Shortly after its Aug. 30 premiere, and throughout the new 2007-2008 academic year, Big Ten Network will begin working with Big Ten institutions to become part of the curriculum and incorporate student production from Big Ten Network-sponsored campus facilities into its core operations. Big Ten Network and its partners have similarly committed to professional internships for Big Ten students and career placement services in their own major media operations.
About the Big Ten Network: Launching this August, the Big Ten Network is dedicated to covering the Big Ten Conference and its 11 member institutions. The Big Ten Network will provide unprecedented access to an extensive schedule of conference sports events and shows; original programs in academics, the arts and sciences; campus activities; and associated personalities. Sports programming will include live coverage of more major men’s and women’s events than ever before, along with news, highlights and analysis, all complemented by hours of university-produced campus programming. The network is available to all cable and satellite carriers and television distributors nationwide, with most programs offered in stunning high-definition television (HDTV). The Big Ten Network is a joint venture between subsidiaries of the Big Ten Conference and Fox Cable Networks. For more information regarding the Big Ten Network, visit www.BigTenNetwork.com.
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