Packaged-goods marketer Church & Dwight has signed on as MLB's newest corporate sponsor, in what sources said is a three-year deal. The league is expected to make an official announcement tomorrow. Church & Dwight will use its MLB rights to market its various Arm & Hammer products, along with the OxiClean laundry products line. According to MLB team sources, New Jersey-based C&D has also signed team sponsorship deals with the Twins and Reds, not coincidentally the hosts of the next two MLB All-Star Games. This suggests that marketing around those events will be an important part of this sponsorship platform. MLB would not comment on the deal.
The deal with the Reds includes a large outfield wall sign at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati – corporate home of C&D rival Procter & Gamble. Another interesting factor to consider: P&G has been an MLB sponsor since '11, with a large baseball-themed effort behind its Head & Shoulders shampoo brand.
Group M's Maxus ESP formulated the strategy and negotiated the rights of the deal for Church & Dwight, while MLB Exec VP/Business Tim Brosnan and VP/National Sales Chris Marciani were key figures for MLB.
