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20 July 2004 Issue

ESPN Brings Off the 'Rick' Trick
Awards Show Appears Set to Post Excellent Ratings
After Boost via Character

The nation has plenty of awards shows, but there's only one that comes with a promotional mascot known as "The Rick." Actor Mike O'Malley, who stars in the CBS sitcom "Yes, Dear", portrayed a soft-spoken slacker dude with hidden dreams of getting more deeply involved with sporting contests in a series of promotional spots on Walt Disney's ESPN. ESPN has used the Rick character several times in the past. In one of the latest batch of commercials, the Rick, clad in a backward cap and Boston Bruins hockey jersey, tells viewers he would be willing to sell nasal strips used by NFL players to get a ticket to the ESPYs.

Surprisingly, perhaps, the character may have helped ESPN attain what it says are some of its best ratings for the program in recent years. The final ratings for the show, which aired Sunday night, are expected to be available today. Advertisers hawking their wares during the gala included General Motors, AT&T Wireless Services, PepsiCo's Gatorade and Procter & Gamble's Old Spice.

Some sports fans are a little shocked. "The ESPYs never struck me as being that kind of environment where you bring in a 'Beavis and Butthead' kind of character," says David A. Morrison of TWENTYSOMETHING Inc., a Philadelphia-based, young adult marketing consultancy. And yet, with manifold awards shows cropping up everywhere, the pressure is on for each to stand out, Mr. Morrison says. "There is clearly a saturation point that is being reached," he adds.

A 2001 move of the ESPYs program to July from February also may be lending a boost. Such scheduling means the show need not compete with "The Sopranos" or "Sex and the City" on Time Warner's HBO.

Sloppy yet endearing, the Rick was means to ensure that young males, a coveted demographic, would be driven to watch a glitzy awards show that is quite different from ESPN's usual competition or sports-news fare. As for those nasal strips -- that's another question.

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