Sometimes a little clutter is the spark for innovation, and the folks at USA Baseball, the national governing body for the National Pastime, seem to have come up with new incentive for those late on their spring cleaning. USAB remains an undervalued resource for many in the lexicon of baseball, many times placed between the quaintness of little League and the success of the professional side. However nary a pro has made it to The Bigs without benefiting from the training or exposure that USA Baseball brings through its development programs, international and national tournaments. The growth of baseball as a global game would not be where it is, where it not for the work of USA Baseball working with its compatriots in other national federations or with MLB to help grow the game.
So it should come as no surprise with all that work that a great number of valuable and unique mementos gather at the USAB headquarters in North Carolina from time to time. It should also come as no surprise, since USAB is all about young developing males who have taken to the digital world, that the governing body should look to the digital space to grow its footprint and exposure. So into the mix came a solid idea, hold a summer long series of promotions designed to get some unused “memorabilia” into the hands of fans, with the social media space as the catalyst. The result is a summer long promotion, “9 innings,” which has fans join USAB’s social media platforms in order to be involved in a giveaway for some fun items, ranging from signed Bryce Harper to Clayton Kershaw items. Each “inning” runs for ten business days, with an item going each day to a deserving fan. The result? Some good buzz and increased awareness for USA Baseball among casual fans, a jump of over 50% for the Federation’s twitter followers, and most importantly for those minding the storage space, closets which will now be a little more empty for the next round of items to come in from various elite events.
In a day and age where all entities are looking to grow following and move some distressed merch after a long season or series of years, USA Baseball came up with a fun and innovative one that helps everyone, especially those who love the game. A homer of a promotion with no downside and little effort, just ingenuity.
