Charleston-based FishBait Solutions marries country music, SEC football

When Luke Combs’ new single, South On Ya (https://lc.lnk.to/SOY), debuted as the SEC Network’s college football season anthem earlier this summer, it generated plenty of excitement for college football fans, for his Sony Music label, and for Combs himself.

It also is a testament to the creativity behind today’s successful sponsor collaborations. FishBait Solutions, an agency specializing in lifestyle marketing, facilitated the connections between the artist, his label and ESPN/Disney’s SEC Network. https://youtu.be/WaeklCvNk1I

“This idea was born from the natural link between SEC football and great country music, and the insatiable hunger fans have for that combination,” said Rob Temple, CEO of FishBait and former ESPN executive. “We got excited about pairing one of the hottest country artist with the SEC Network to capture what makes the SEC…THE SEC.”

It all started with a spring planning call with ESPN.  From there, Temple and agency partner Ron Cook (a fixture on the Nashville music scene) reached out to their friends at Sony Music – and from them to Combs’ team – seeking a memorable tune for the SEC Network.  They served up a song poised to become the next great anthem of Southern football…maybe even Southern lifestyles, as lived the other six days of the week.

Noted Nicole Marinake, Sony Music Nashville Senior Director, Partnership Marketing: “We could not have made this happen without the team from FishBait Solutions. There’s nothing quite like the intersection of sports and music, and Luke Combs and the SEC are definitely a winning combination. We’re thrilled to be working alongside our partners at ESPN and FishBait to bring this anthem to life.”

“Our company works every day to unite fans with brands,” said Temple. “If we can forge an enduring alignment between all of these incredibly powerful entities, then we’ve done our job.”

• On day one, the ESPN-produced spot generated tens of thousands of likes and shares. It spurred a Golf Digest writer to proclaim: “Already the clear hype video SZN champion…one minute of pure southern glory…”
• South On Ya debuted at the SEC’s media day, and will see its first live performance September 4th in an appearance at Appalachian State, which Combs attended.
• Combs has been riding a huge wave of success, including winning the Country Music Association’s New Artist of the Year (2018) and 2020 Male Vocalist and Album of the year.

The music/football overlap was not a first for Temple and his team; he played a pivotal role when ESPN College Game Day’s anthem Comin’ to Your City was adopted years ago. The company is also currently facilitating a multi-partner series of SEC/country music events in Atlanta for the 2021 season.

FishBait Solutions, LLC was founded in January by Rick Jones, Ron Cook and Rob Temple. Combining existing agencies and decades of experiences and connections, the agency counts numerous national brands as clients. The company sells and activates sponsorships within five divisions: American Heritage, Collegiate Sports, Country Music, Tourism and Food Festivals and Outdoor Sports. With offices in five states, it harnesses a dedicated team of seasoned strategic marketing and media executives, with expertise in experiential marketing, consulting, sales, creative solutions and more.