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Marketing and Sponsorship

The Hartford set to join MLB sponsor roster

With baseball’s 2015 season opening this week, The Hartford is close to unveiling its new league sponsorship deal.

Terms were not available, but sources noted that auto insurance rights are not included in The Hartford’s deal, since it is not a focus for the company. However, sources said MLB was in advanced talks with Allstate’s Esurance brand and others regarding the auto insurance category.

MLB spokesman Matt Bourne would not comment on a deal, which gives MLB its first insurance sponsor since State Farm didn’t renew after the 2012 MLB season. During its six-year run, State Farm had comprehensive category rights and title rights to the Home Run Derby, held the night before the All-Star Game and broadcast on ESPN.

Sources said talks that led to the latest deal began before baseball’s regime change early this year under new Commissioner Rob Manfred. MLB sponsorship sales executives were meeting with Liberty Mutual and The Hartford since last fall, sources said. But The Hartford represents the first new sponsor under the administration of Bob Bowman, president of business and media, and Noah Garden, executive vice president of business.

MLB’s most recent insurance sponsor was State Farm, which left after the 2012 season.
Photo by: GETTY IMAGES
GMR Marketing is handling for The Hartford. While little could be learned regarding activation plans, sources expected it to come out of the life/mutual funds/group benefits side of the company, as was the case with The Hartford’s last big sports sponsorship, an NCAA deal that ran from 2004-11. Previously, The Hartford has sponsored the MLB Players Alumni Association, golfers including J.J. Henry, as well as being a founding sponsor of the Paralympics.

Over the past decade, insurance is one of the most marketing-intensive categories. Nearly every big sports property is tied up with an insurance sponsor.

“There’s a lot more noise in insurance than the last time [The] Hartford went in big, so I’ll be interested to see their approach,” said Michael Neuman, managing partner at Scout Sports and Entertainment, the agency for Geico, which has more than a dozen MLB team sponsorships. “Consumers are used to insurers activating using stick-and-ball sports against auto and home. Can you get their attention using sports to activate against life and annuities? Golf has been the typical vehicle there.”

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