MLB today is introducing an "ambitious campaign aimed at the demographic aged 18 to 34," according to Stuart Elliott of the N.Y. TIMES. Not only are the "tone and approach different from previous campaigns, which took more traditional tacks, but the ads will have a far larger presence in social media that younger Americans adore, like Facebook and Twitter." The campaign is the first for MLB from its new creative agency, Hill, Holliday, Connors, Cosmopulos in Boston. The league's previous campaign theme, "Beyond baseball," has been replaced with the phrase "MLB Always Epic," and there will be a microsite called mlbalwaysepic.com. Also, in an "attempt to appeal to a more youthful audience, the campaign is changing the look of commercials and video clips." Formerly, spots "celebrated the charms of baseball as a sport by offering glimpses of in-game action," but the new commercials, "on TV and online, offer humorous vignettes of popular players." Giants P Brian Wilson, Mariners P Felix Hernandez and Rockies P Ubaldo Jimenez are featured in the first round of ads. Elliott notes MLB sponsors and partners like Pepsi and Fox "have long centered campaigns on star players," but the league "has shied from that because far more players have local or regional profiles than national stature." Meanwhile, the start of the MLB season is "bringing other baseball-related campaigns that speak with hipper voices." Old Style beer, sold by the Pabst Brewing Company, is "introducing a campaign by Scott & Victor in Chicago that plays up the brand's sponsorship of the Chicago Cubs and its bottles designed to resemble bats." Also, StubHub is "bringing out a campaign by Duncan/Channon in San Francisco that includes its first national TV commercials" (N.Y. TIMES, 3/31).
