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Idea Innovators

MLB's Marinak Discusses Strategy For Drawing Younger Fans

With MLB’s attendance plans still unclear for next season, the league faces a delicate balancing act of drawing in younger fans with technology while still keeping its older demographic engaged. Speaking during SBJ and Leaders' Media Innovators virtual series, MLB Chief Operations & Strategy Officer Chris Marinak -- an SBJ "Forty Under 40" HOFer -- said the key to finding the right balance is having “multiple product offerings available” for the different demographics, with an emphasis on personalization. “You can't just have a one-size-fits-all product,” Marinak said. “The world that we're living in today, it's different across generations. It's even different within generations about preferences for consumption, favorite teams, favorite players. And so, what you really need to do is unlock this concept around creating flexible consumption.” Marinak noted that MLB has made strides with the younger crowd on TikTok and also stayed adept at pumping out original content on YouTube. Marinak: “Not as interesting for the older generation that's more focused on consuming live-game content. But it's making other content available so that different audiences can be a part of the experience in the way that is most friendly for the way that they want to consume the content.”

Quick Hits:

*On connecting with fans when they do return to the ballpark: “When you go to the ballpark, it should be an integrated experience. We should know who your favorite teams are. We should know who your favorite players are. And to the extent that you're a season-ticket holder, or you come to the ballpark on a regular basis, we should know where your parking spot is, what gate is the best way for you to enter the ballpark.”

*On the value of a full offseason as it relates to fan engagement: “We feel really lucky to have a little bit of a break here and it's full speed ahead on … because we really view digital and technology as a way to unlock our next generation of younger fans. And there's a lot of opportunity to do that over the course of this winter.”

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