Bensussen Deutsch & Associates (BDA), MLB's preferred premium merchandise provider, today announced it has signed a three-year contract to be an official licensee and promotional premiums provider of the Baseball HOF. BDA will design and develop licensed replicas of HOF plaques and other iconic artifacts to be distributed by MLB and MiLB teams and through the Baseball HOF retail outlets, including the Cooperstown, N.Y.-based museum's store, website and catalog business. "A Baseball Hall of Fame merchandise giveaway can have a measurable impact at the gate," said BDA co-Founder & CEO Jay Deutsch. "Fans treasure a keepsake that lets them celebrate the milestones of their favorite team and players." The announcement coincides with the 18th annual Baseball Think Tank hosted by BDA this week in Las Vegas. The three-day interactive conference fosters league-wide collaboration on product ideas for sponsorship activation, merchandise giveaway strategies and best practices within the sports marketing and promotions industry. The HOF has licensed a handful of such premium giveaways in the past, beginning in '09 when the Dodgers were celebrating Tommy Lasorda's 50 years with the club. The HOF licensed a replica plaque of the former manager that was given out to 45,000 fans at a Dodgers' game. "This will be great brand building and marketing for us, but it's also nice for the Hall of Famer and the team too," said Baseball HOF VP/Retail Marketing & Licensing Sean Gahagan.
