Baker Mayfield (Oklahoma, 2017), Bo Jackson (Auburn, 1985) and Gino Torretta (Miami, 1992) are the three newest recruits to the 2018 Nissan Heisman House, a fictional fraternity that provides fans a glimpse of what it might be like if the winners of college football’s highest individual honor lived together under one roof.
Now in its eighth year, the 2018 Nissan Heisman House campaign features 10 Heisman Trophy winners in a series of TV spots airing on ESPN beginning Aug. 30 and running throughout the college football season. The season’s opening spot, “Calling All Heismans,” premieres tonight during the college football season opener, Purdue vs. Northwestern, 8:00 p.m. EDT on ESPN.
“The Heisman House campaign has proven to be a tremendous opportunity for Nissan to creatively feature our robust vehicle lineup and innovative technology in front of the massive audience that is college football fans,” said Jeremy Tucker, vice president, marketing communications and media, Nissan North America, Inc. “This year, with a strong ad focus on Nissan Intelligent Mobility and our TITAN pickup – featuring America’s Best Truck Warranty1 – we’re taking the campaign to new heights with one of our most star-studded casts ever.”
Returning Heisman House members are Herschel Walker (Georgia, 1982), Mike Rozier (Nebraska, 1983), Barry Sanders (Oklahoma State, 1988), Charles Woodson (Michigan, 1997), Tim Tebow (Florida, 2007), Marcus Mariota (Oregon, 2014) and Derrick Henry (Alabama, 2015).
This year’s campaign includes seven 45-second spots and five 15-second spots featuring the all-new 2019 Nissan Altima, GT-R, all-new Kicks, Rogue and Nissan TITAN. Nissan Intelligent Mobility is also a major focus of this year’s campaign. Highlights include:
Calling All Heismans (45 seconds, to debut on Aug. 30): Charles Woodson leads the charge in “Calling All Heismans” to this year’s campaign.
Baker Mayfield Sandwich (15 seconds, to debut in Sept.): Baker Mayfield plants a flag to claim his food in the Heisman House kitchen.
BOard Games (15 seconds, to debut in Oct.): Bo Jackson’s all-around skills are put to the test in the world of board games. Is there any game he can’t master?
For the 12th straight year, Nissan will provide college football fans the opportunity to vote for their favorite Heisman Trophy candidates. Nissan’s fan vote – the voice of the public – is cast along with other Heisman voters from sports journalists and previous Heisman winners. This year, fans can vote through Twitter or at NissanHeismanHouse.com via their mobile devices.
“The fan vote is something Nissan is particularly proud of because it gives fans a voice in a space that otherwise is completely closed to the public,” added Tucker. “And via this vote, fans have proven to know their college football – the fan vote winner has gone on to win the Heisman Trophy in 10 of the 11 years of its existence.”
Nissan also announced two sweepstakes (click here for official rules) to complement the 2018 Heisman House campaign, including one that offers a chance for a member of the public to win two tickets to attend the exclusive Heisman Trophy Award Ceremony in New York on Dec. 8 – the only way in which to do so. Fans also can enter to win a customized Nissan TITAN. Last year, nearly 1-million consumers used the configurator on NissanUSA.com to customize a TITAN in their favorite school colors.
As in previous years, the Nissan Heisman House Tour, featuring a simulated Heisman House, will travel to different college campuses throughout the U.S. The Tour provides fans an opportunity to enjoy the Heisman House living room, take photos with the trophy, and meet Heisman Trophy winners as well as ESPN on-air talent.
The tour’s first stop is South Bend, Ind., for the Michigan vs. Notre Dame matchup Saturday, Sept. 1. Former running back Ricky Watters, a member of Notre Dame’s 1988 national championship team, will appear from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. EDT, participating in both a chalk talk session with ESPN anchor Neil Everett and an autograph session with fans. 1987 Heisman Trophy winner, Tim Brown, who became the seventh player from Notre Dame to win the Heisman Trophy, will then appear from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. EDT., participating in both a chalk talk session with Everett and an autograph session with fans.
