Turf Wars: Angels, Dodgers Continue To Battle For L.A. Fans

Dodgers Launch “Get Into The Blue” Ad Campaign

The Angels expect to have 1,200 billboards promoting the team in the L.A. area until the beginning of April, up from 480 billboards in ’05, as part of the team’s “biggest marketing campaign” since Arte Moreno bought the team in ’03, according to Alana Semuels of the L.A. TIMES. The Dodgers this weekend launched a campaign, titled “Get Into the Blue,” that includes TV spots, as well as ads in movie theaters, plasma video monitors, milk containers, buses and billboards. Their billboards are “tinted blue” and feature images of P Derek Lowe and Dodger Stadium. The teams’ “marketing blitz comes as both teams hope to extend a two-year streak that saw their combined attendance top 7 million” (L.A. TIMES, 3/17).

DODGERS: In L.A., Kevin Baxter noted although the Dodgers’ ’07 payroll has jumped more than $12M to about $111M since last season, Owner Frank McCourt said that “money wouldn’t be an issue if the team needed to make a deal this summer.” McCourt: “We’re going to spend what it takes” (L.A. TIMES, 3/18).