MLB Teams Still Relying On Bobbleheads To Drive Ticket Sales

As MLB teams wrestled last season with the challenges of attracting fans to ballparks, their reliance on non-baseball brands to do the trick -- and, of course, bobbleheads -- continued to grow. For the seventh year in a row, MLB teams were more likely to use a bobblehead to lure fans to the ballpark than any other promotional item. Nearly 7% of the games included such a giveaway, the highest ratio since at least '06, according to Sports Business Journal’s 13th annual review of team promotional calendars. Because more than 100 games across the league included a tie-in with an entertainment brand like Marvel, Margaritaville or “Game of Thrones,” chances are bobbleheads from this season look nothing like those from a decade ago. The Brewers, a franchise that historically is one of the most active when it comes to game-day promotions, hosted 20 limited-availability themed ticket packages last season, generating more than 53,000 ticket sales. The team tends to see 20-30% of theme-night attendees come back each year for the same event, said Brewers VP/Strategy & Analytics Mike Schwartz. He added the club’s analytics show that 25-35% of the theme-night tickets sold in '18 were incremental, meaning these were fans that had never, or would likely not have ever, attended a game at Miller Park.

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