For any sport to survive, it needs to adapt to new generations and new audiences. Sports, much like businesses, need to create a brand identity to survive. Just take a look at the UFC for example. It was almost unheard of in 1993, but is now a household name and for many fans, represents MMA as a whole.
The Major Baseball League has done just that. Over the last few years, the MLB has taken to social media to attract new audiences, and has used creative marketing methods to change the meaning of baseball.
By the end of this article, you will know more about the marketing power of the MLB, such as what content they create online and on social media, and how giving back to the community has helped them bring in a younger audience.
Online Content
The MLB quickly realized the value in producing content in the online space. If you were to look at their website, which gives fans access to live scores and player statistics, you’d see the effort to keep visitors engaged. Typically, there is more content available on the teams which are favorites according to the World Series odds, this is due to the players on those teams usually attracting the most attention.
Their website isn’t the only place content is produced for; the MLB provides a range of content options such as podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts to many websites on the net.
Social Media Marketing
The first place you’d likely go for information about your favorite players or teams is social media, something that many other fans do too, which the MLB has capitalized on. The MLB has been creating engaging content on Twitter and Instagram, primarily, which gets high levels of engagement.
The baseball league has also begun taking advantage of their players’ social media presence with something called “the player marketing program”. How this works is the MLB will give players content through the Greenfly app, such as hype videos or customized graphics. The players will then post this content to various social media platforms.
This is a brilliant marketing method, since it exponentially increases the reach of the MLB. Remember, the MLB players have audiences of their own, which the MLB is drawing from. As the social media accounts of the players grow, so will the accounts of the MLB.
Global Attraction
Before social media and global streaming platforms that cater to sports, such as Hulu, Peacock, or YouTube, baseball was more of an American sport for the most part. However, by using these platforms, the MLB has shown what baseball is to an international audience.
For example, there is the World Baseball Classic, which is an international baseball tournament that was founded in part by the MLB. Then there is the international content the league creates, such as featuring Europe in their YouTube series, conducting interviews in Spanish, and going shopping for sneakers in Japan.
Broad Marketing Campaigns
It’s important for anyone looking to succeed in the world of business to attempt to make their product as attractive as possible to many audiences. MLB understands this, which is why they have created broad marketing campaigns to target multiple audiences.
MLB launched “Let the Kids Play” campaign, which showcased young talent in the sport, with baseball legend Ken Griffey Jr. narrating the clip. This allowed the MLB to break out of its defined target audience that generally consisted of males between 18 to 49.
Community Outreach
It’s easy to forget in today’s day and age that marketing extends further than screens, but the MLB hasn’t forgotten this. The league created a series called “Play Ball”, which invites top personalities to teach the youth about the game.
Taking it a step further, the MLB also started a program to give the youth opportunities to shine in baseball, called “Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities”. These types of programs not only give the MLB the opportunity to give back, but also to target a younger demographic and gain positive publicity in the process.
Key Takeaway
If there’s anything to take away from this, it’s that successful marketing is more than paying for ads on social media platforms, or paying for top celebrities to promote your product. This is something that the MLB could have easily done, but it wouldn’t have helped them to gain an international audience.
Remember, baseball is a very old sport and hasn’t always been very inclusive. However, with creating community outreach programs and including the youth, MLB has been able to redefine baseball for a younger audience. Through creating content that resonates with different cultures, the MLB made baseball more than something Americans enjoyed, which is what it initially was.
Most importantly, the MLB made use of what they already have; an abundance of players with their own social media followings. By creating content for their players to share, the MLB has exponentially increased their reach and made new audiences aware of what they are and what they stand for.
