Some items of note for the radar this week…all of which show attention to detail and taking advantage of a window and an audience while others look elsewhere.
Uncrustables Take The Field. Ther have been many anecdotal stories about the impact of Uncrustables and their popularity in the locker room. Now they have found what seems to be a perfect spot on the field. At Progressive Field, home of the Cleveland Guardians, The J.M. Smucker Co. (headquartered in Ohio) has brought its Uncrustables branding to the on-deck circle, turning a largely unused spot on the diamond into a high leverage, very visible opportunity. Why have few used the on-deck circle for ads and promotions before? It has only recently fallen into the sales category, but it will surely grow, especially if you can find a literal good, round fit. These are the types of fun, sticky, and age-inclusive integrations that make people smile and make sponsors stand out.
The Stanley Pup Returns. Rescue Dogs have become a cause staple of many leagues, particularly hockey clubs like the Washington Capitals. They are a great rallying point for kids and families, and their literal growth into helping those in need tells an even bigger picture story. Add on to that the success of puppy and kitten themed shoulder programming in sport…the most successful being The Puppy Bowl, which ran for years during Super Bowl…and you have a fun, short form video mix that is sellable and has stickiness. Enter the Stanley Pup…the combo of puppy bowl and rescue dog celebration tied to hockey, and you have another well thought out, simple, sponsorable event that draws fans of the little folks and hockey fans of every age together. It doesn’t take from the NHL, it gives. Worth a watch.
MLB Enhancing the audience with another investment. A few weeks ago, at the Sports Crypto event, Alexis Ohanian talked about the need for big sports properties to look close and inward for content and building an audience. The community exists and wants to be included, but in years past instead of investing in that community, leagues would outsource to digital media companies who, they thought, had the best chance of getting casual fandom with their data. “It’s crazy to me that everyone pays a ‘Zuck tax’ to reach their own fans,” he said in a reference to how leagues would seek out Facebook and pay THEM to engage with fans. The reality is that investing in platforms that speak directly to fandom at a niche, and enhancing the channels you have with the right content, can be a much better payoff. We have heard stories in recent years about how big events like the US Open have doubled down on their internal storytelling and have worked with individuals who live and breathe the sport, because they saw clearly that most of the attention they were getting during the event was NOT from The Athletic or another news source, but from their own platforms, USTA.com and USopen.org. This week we saw MLB make a smart move to also embrace that fandom, investing in a media platform that is all about baseball and fandom and fun…Jomboy Media. It was the latest in a series of moves by MLB to include and not isolate those helping to do your community work. Why not embrace, carefully, those who you share a passion with and who connects with your fans in an authentic way. An easy addition, and an example we will hopefully see more of.
Lastly, reminders of joy. Roland Garros gave us lots of smiles this week, was there anything better than seeing the two young champions, Coco Gauff and Carlos Alcaraz, surround by the smiling ball kids after their wins? A reminder of why we love these games, the ability to watch and enjoy together…literally.
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