“One thing is for sure, you never f#ck with a streak.” Crash Davis’s line in Bull Durham obviously speaks to the superstitions and the razor thin line of success in and around any kind of athletic competition, and who knows what really works and doesn’t, but that’s part of the fun right?
More important than luck is to be smart enough to put yourself in position for success in case that match catches fire, and that involves a lot of forethought, listening and working behind the scenes for when the moment comes. We give you the New York Mets and Grimace. Our colleague Howard Megdal did a great piece a few weeks ago about the Grimace origin story that has continued to play out as the Amazins continue on their winning ways through June, a streak which has brought them relevance few outside the organization saw coming even four weeks ago, and the Grimace ride is part of the fun the crash refers to during a streak.
What’s so important about telling the backstory is that this was part of a year-long plan hatched by two Mets young staffers, Manager of Social Media Janey Murray and Head of Podcasts Vito Calise, that took on a life of its own because a YEAR AGO, Murray saw a tie between the McDonald’s character and his birthday as a way to tie in a small promo with the team, which had an existing McDonald’s partnership. The cynical may say is was just another silly way to try and bring vale add to a brand partnership during a tough season…have a mascot through out one of an endless stream of promotional first pitches…but in reality she saw it as a fun way to take a character and bring it to life for a genre that likes fun and may not always be paying attention to WAR and launch angles, especially given the Mets struggles to find a connection with fans as the season started slowly.
So there went Grimace, which the Mets social team captured, and their broadcast team had some fun with…keeping in mind the Mets broadcasters are of an age to know about Grimace and the Hamburgler and the other McDonald’s characters from their youth…and suddenly the Mets started winning. Social saw the tie to the Grimace pitch, fans got involved as the team improved, and off we go. Giveaways, costumes, short form videos and on and on…suddenly Grimace is challenging Gritty and Mr. Met for pop cultural popularity and a fun “thing” has happened.
Getting back to the partnership side, let’s not lose sight of the fact that all this work has really amped up the Mets and McDonald’s partnership as well. The folks at McDonald’s, like many large companies , are protective of every aspect of their billion dollar brand and are probably not as nimble on pivoting with requests that involve Intellectual Property, had to be able to see the opportunity the Mets team had created and be able to pivot as well…and absorb some of the viral moments that may have been cringeworthy but also built the momentum they have been a part of in the past month.
Now will this lead to millions more in McDonald’s sales? A Grimace movie? Who knows, as the baseball season, like any long sports season, has its ebbs and flows. We have seen fun campaigns like this…”Shark Baby,” “Who Let The Dogs Out,’ “The Curley Shuffle,” be part of the nexus of success before, although it is rare that it happens with a character licensed and created by a brand. Many times, those types of efforts are forced and fall short. This time, all the forces aligned for success well beyond what was originally planned.
So, kudos to the Mets staffers for taking the time to go through a long process never knowing where it was going to end up. If they didn’t put the time in, Grimace comes and goes. Since they did, and everything aligned, a fun moment has been extended well beyond its original cycle, and the ride continues.
LGM. Crash Davis would agree.
Second Acts, Defining Moments, And Not Watching The Paint Dry…