Taking A Swing: MLB Featuring 20 National Sponsors This Year

MLB Senior VP/Corporate Sales & Marketing John Brody, in a Q&A with ADWEEK’s Kamau High, said the league has 20 national sponsors this year, roughly twice as many as ‘03, and 15 “will have national advertising that is baseball themed.” Brody said MLB partners “represent a roughly $400[M] business in direct and indirect spending,” including sponsorship fees and local and national media. He said MLB looks for partners who “believe less is more,” and the league is “only going to do deals with people we feel are leaders in their industry and people who can meet our fairly significant spending commitments” (ADWEEK, 4/2 issue).

STANDING TALL: Despite losing Pfizer/Viagra and Century 21, Brody said sponsor renewals and a new deal with Sharp “more than replaced lost revenue.” In this week’s SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, Terry Lefton cites sources as saying that A-B has signed a new four-year deal that includes “a larger rights fee.” MLB is “still working on a renewal” with Ameriquest, despite the company ending its naming rights sponsorship of the Rangers’ ballpark and trying to “drop all its sports sponsorships.” While Ameriquest’s MLB deal ended after last season, Brody said, “They will begin the season the same way they started the last three, with (national) MLB sponsorship rights.” However, Lefton notes the company will no longer sponsor the All-Star ballot. Meanwhile, Nike has renewed its deal, and The Home Depot “is in the final stages” of a three-year renewal. Wheaties also has renewed its deal, but will share the breakfast cereal category with Quaker (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 4/2 issue).