There are "some corporate rookies" advertising at
Comerica Park, while "others have opted out of the new
ballpark or have been cut from the roster," according to
Becky Yerak of the DETROIT NEWS. AAA "is out this year
because its auto insurance business competes with chief
sponsor" Comerica. Meanwhile, lawn and garden equipment
maker MTD had "one of a handful of spots on the main
scoreboard" at Tiger Stadium in '99, but is "absent this
year" and "declined to say why." Office Depot is "another
notable no-show" this season. Office Depot Sports Marketing
Coordinator Matt Spath: "The price of getting involved in a
lot of new ballparks has gone up significantly, and that was
the case with Comerica. It was borderline absurd as far as
the dollars they were asking." Yerak adds that as the
Tigers "struggle on the field, a few Comerica advertisers
are also getting bad reviews for misbegotten signs either
too subtle or flat out unreadable." MotorCity Casino's
scoreboard sign, "with the casino's name in the palm of a
baseball mitt, barely registers." MotorCity Casino
Marketing Dir Scott Frost, on the sign: "Our goals were to
celebrate baseball and get our brand out. The idea was
nice, but when we saw it up, we weren't pleased." Yerak
notes that the casino will "crop" the bottom of the mitt
with a black band, then add MotorCity's name in white
letters (DETROIT NEWS, 4/28).
