Unsought Opportunities: Where the Next MLB Advertisements Will Pop Up
Back in the days of yore advertising came strictly from billboards, and maybe the occasional radio or magazine ad, but these days it’s anything goes. Plastering baseball with advertisements is becoming quite popular, and a little ridiculous, especially when the Chicago White Sox sold their game time to Seven Eleven.
Other sneaky advertisements that really crack my bat are foul balls, pitching changes, and even delivering the balls to the umpire, so this got me thinking; what other distinct aspect of baseball can be used for branding purposes?
10. Whenever a Blown Save in October Happens—Everlast
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The end of the season is winding down, you’re a game and a half behind the division leader, and, dang it, your closer just blew a two run lead in the ninth. After your done eating your misery away or polishing off whatever alcohol is left in the fridge, you may want to just beat something to oblivion. Well with Everlast sneaking in an advertisement before you turn off your TV, you may feel the strong urge to go out and buy a punching bag to beat on rather than anything (or anyone) else.
9. Whenever an All-Star Goes 0-4 with an Error—AT&T IPhone
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If Jeter walks into the dugout after a rough night in the diamond, you may not be as upset with him as you would be with say, Curtis Granderson for example. Just like with the AT&T iPhone, it drops your calls, sometimes gives you barely any service, but yet you still love the thing to death, just as you would to any team hero after a down day at the ballpark.
8. Fans Moaning and Groaning After a Pitch Two Feet off the Plate—Vuzavelas
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Seriously, is there anything more annoying than 40,000 fans getting disgruntled over a two strike pitch that was thrown in the other batter’s box? Actually it’s funny you asked, because there is indeed, and it’s called the vuvazela. You can’t tell me the irony of hearing “and that uproar from the poor-vision fans is brought to by vuvazels (insert sound of one here)” isn’t too good to be true, can you?
http://tiny.cc/rvhmx
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7. A Ground Rule Double—University of Phoenix
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A ground rule double is kind of like a double, but a real one would have been better. An online university degree is kind of like a real college degree, but a real one would have been better.
http://tiny.cc/w4icj
6. a Blown Call from the Umpire—Leader Dogs for the Blind
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As corny as this sounds, it has to be on the list. A major league baseball game can’t go through a whole inning without a blind joke being thrown at the umpire, so whenever an unruly fan belches out “hey ump you need glasses,” a Leader Dogs for the Blind representative will hoist a sign promoting their company above said fan’s head for the time being.
5. David Ortiz, for Example, Stretching a Single into a Double—Hummer
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Now this one might be a head scratcher at first, but hear me out on this one. Whenever a hefty player nails one into the gap he has two options: 1) pull up at first at get dogged by the manager, or 2) haul on over to second base, or maybe even third.
By the time David Ortiz, for instance, reaches second, there is nothing left in his tank, just like how a Hummer barely has anything in its tank after a day’s worth of errands.
4. Whenever Ozzie Guillen Is Argueing with an Umpire—Rosetta Stone
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If I could eavesdrop into one conversation into the sporting world, it would definitely have to deal with Chicago White Sox skipper Ozzie Guillen. While listening to Guillen badger an umpire in R-rated broken English, a tag line like “looks like Ozzie could use the help of 'Rosetta Stone: English as a Second Language' to get the umpire on his side,” can be thrown out over the airwaves.
3. Throwing Broken Bats—Waste Management Co.
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This is an example of a very rare occasion, but why not make opportunity anywhere you can? In the heated “Subway Series” Roger Clemens’ pitch split Met’s catcher Mike Piazza’s bat in two pieces, one of which that went to the mound.
Well Roger just being Roger, he toke the barrel of the bat and sent it hurling towards Piazza. Sex scandals, steroid abuse, and perjury charges all surround Clemen’s career, but don’t let those undermine the bad lesson he gave to America’s youth about poor lumber recycling habits, unless he thought Piazza looked like a recycling bin. This could be your chance to label a historic moment Waste Management, don’t let me down.
2. Taking a Base out of the Ground—ADT Security
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This one, again, doesn’t happen on a regular occasion, but it would make sense for ADT to throw their name on these highlights. Whether it was Ricky Henderson after taking the stolen base title or Sweet Lou Piniella, the bottom line is that both people literally stole third base. “With ADT in your home, people won’t even steal as much as third base.” Brilliant? I think so.
http://tiny.cc/h73gw
1. Meltdowns Like This—Goarmy.com
10 of 10Ok, now this one will never happen again, but it’s never too late to advertise the YouTube video, is it? With this epic highlight you can go in many directions with goarmy.com, whether it be building mental character so you never have a meltdown like this, or profiling the army crawl with the “grenade toss” and tying it in with the training you’ll receive, this is sure to be a gold mine for army advertising.
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