Falken Tire is just one of a bevy of league sponsors pulling together its activation plans for the start of MLB’s playoffs next week.
Allstate’s Esurance brand is offering a block of 10 tickets to a World Series game to policyholders via what the company is calling a #Seatstakes. Policyholders will be encouraged to recruit their friends to join them through social media. Meanwhile, The Hartford, which has MLB rights in the business-insurance, homeowners-insurance and employee-benefits categories, will sponsor the “call to the bullpen,” with in-ballpark branding and digital and social media extensions using #PitchAndPrevail. The company also will present its sponsored Reliever of the Year Award prior to Game 2 of the World Series.
In one of the more intriguing activations, industry chatter has wireless carrier T-Mobile finally getting some hardware in dugouts as a means of product placement in the form of tablets, though Noah Garden, MLB’s executive vice president, business, said that has not been finalized. T-Mobile also is expected to have new TV ads and a postseason-specific promotion.
Bank of America’s MLB Memory Bank campaign will continue in the postseason, with a new TV spot; DraftKings will be hosting a sweepstakes; Church & Dwight is hosting an MLB-themed Pinterest board that will include video highlights; and MasterCard will have a media buy touting “Priceless Surprises” in postseason team markets, including ticket upgrades and experiences such as pregame field access.
Chevrolet will sponsor the ceremony surrounding the Roberto Clemente Award prior to a World Series game and will stage its usual car presentation to the World Series MVP.
Additionally, Amazon Web Services is sponsoring MLB’s Statcast performance metrics for the entire postseason.
