Just in time for Opening Day on Monday, Major League Baseball has launched a new campaign that highlights all the reasons fans love the game.
The “For the Love of Baseball” campaign is the product of a new lead creative agency at MLB—BBDO North America—and asks viewers to remember all the things that provide memories that last forever, like ballparks, opening day, and seeing young stars in action.
MLB has already released three spots “Ballparks,” “David Price,” and “Mike Trout,” the latter two being players from the Tampa Bay Rays and Los Angeles Angels, respectively.
The New York Times reported Monday that the new campaign is launching just as PepsiCo is set to announce a renewal of its multiyear sponsorship deal with the league.
PepsiCo is the home of many iconic products associated with the sport, such as Cracker Jacks and Gatorade, deepening the emphasis on nostalgia and tradition as the league markets the 2014 season.
But at the same time that MLB is playing towards the sport’s heritage and traditions, they’re also trying to capture the attention of younger fans by partnering with MTV2 on a new half-hour series called “Off the Bat from the MLB Fan Cave.”
Each episode will “focus on the intersection of pop culture and sports.”
Read More: The New York Times
Brief Take: As one of the last bastions of live viewership in a time-shifting TV landscape, MLB is hoping its play to nostalgia will boost viewership and make an already lucrative ad market for sports programming pay even more.
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