Going Yard, or Striking Out? MLB All-Star Sponsorships Fail to get On Base

July 9^th and 10^th are big days for Major League Baseball.  Monday’s Home Run Derby is followed by Tuesday’s All Star Game.  Both amount to big opportunities for brands to connect with fans, on common ground – the shared love of Baseball and the players who make the game great. 

According to a BrandChannel report, State Farm Insurance and Chevrolet are two key brands sponsoring different aspects of the festivities.  State Farm is sponsoring the Derby, while Chevrolet is bringing a fleet of its cars and trucks to the game itself.  Firestone got in on the action too, sponsoring the final “fan Twitter vote” that elected the final players to the All-Star teams. 

Swinging for the Bleachers

Whether marketers or players, any time you swing for the bleachers you can connect for the big hit, or come up empty – the dreaded “whiff”  of the swing and miss.  The 2011 Home Run Derby, for instance, captured just shy of 6.7 million viewers, while the All Star Game itself pulled in the lowest ratings, EVER, averaging about 11 million viewers.  Ratings, however, show the complexity of sports marketing – even with these low ratings last year, the game still drew a larger audience than other anticipated sporting events, such as the Kentucky Derby, NCAA tournament, and the US Open. 

Regardless of audience – which in this case can be consider at best “uncertain” for the sponsors, given the viewership of the derby and game last year – relevancy to the brand and targeted consumer is perhaps more important for a sponsorship.  There’s got to be a fit between all three pieces – the brand, the event, and the target market.

Striking Out

Looking at State Farm’s sponsorship of the Derby specifically, I’m sensing a strike out.  What is the relevancy to the brand?  Chevrolet, perhaps, could get more mileage out of that specific sponsorship – the derby, not just the game generally – capitalizing on the power needed to hit a home run and the power under the hoods of Chevy cars and trucks.

Making an Adjustment

Just as batters who are slumping need to spend time in the batting cage and make adjustments, so too do marketers.  State Farm would do better if it were more creative, looking for ways to incorporate its brand into the game in a way that is relevant to its key benefit to consumers.  Insurance is all about protection.  How about sponsoring a “replay” of plays on the bases, specifically at home plate?  The catcher’s job is to protect the plate, just as State Farm’s job is to protect its clients.  How awesome would that sponsorship be in terms of highlighting the key benefit to consumers and resonating the brand’s value?