TriHealth bought space for its logo to run on the grass in foul territory at Great American Ball ParkGETTY IMAGES
The Reds are "going to great lengths" to bring in sponsorship sales with no fans allowed at games, according to Steve Watkins of the CINCINNATI BUSINESS COURIER. One of the biggest hurdles for the team is that "roughly half of the Reds' typical sponsorship revenue doesn’t have much value without fans in Great American Ball Park," and because of that, "the Reds got creative in finding new ways to generate sponsor revenue this year." TriHealth "bought space for its logo to run on the grass in foul territory," an area which "shows up prominently on TV." In the past, MLB "had never allowed that space to be sold." Skyline Chili "bought space in the on-deck circle that couldn’t be sold in the past." The Reds "added virtual signs in the batter’s eye beyond center field that are visible on TV only," and they "sold space on the back of the pitcher’s mound to a few companies." Reds VP/Corporate Partnerships Bill Reinberger said, “We added about 40 new signs that were made for television." Watkins reported the team "also put up tarps in the lower outfield seats that show up frequently on TV." Procter & Gamble, PNC, Cintas, Kroger and United Dairy Farmers are "among the sponsors who bought those spaces." Reinberger said that "seven to 10 sponsors spent as much this year on a prorated basis as they were originally scheduled to spend in the pre-pandemic world" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 8/4).
