MLB Off-Topic

[WaitTilNextYear]

Quote: Originally Posted by CMH

I'm going to go out on a limb and say you hang out with people who have similar interests as you so I'm not surprised they also stopped watching. The "I know people" argument is irrelevant when the overall numbers are up. You can keep saying no one likes it anymore but the facts do not support it. The NBA is thriving. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using Tapatalk

It depends on what your definition of thriving is. Financially, sure. No argument there. All the major sports are experiencing great growth and bottom lines.

But I can't agree that, competitively speaking, knowing exactly which 2 teams will meet in the Finals before the regular season ever starts meets the definition of thriving, imo. The NBA, popular though it might be and even moreso with certain demographics (a Venn Diagram between MLB and NBA fans would probably show less overlap than we might suspect), is in a position where the regular season is a glorified exhibition--a cash grab--because it's gonna be whatever the latest greatest super team in the West vs whatever team LeBron is on in the East in the Finals every year for the forseeable future (Cavs vs Warriors for 3 years running and everybody knew it would be).

Quote: Originally Posted by Master Live 013

Continue to see allusions to a purported difference in marketing strategies, specifically vis-a-vis the NBA, of whether they focus on individual players and I just don't see it. I think MLB does try to market their players individually, perhaps they are just wholly innefective. They always try the thing where you pick a guy from a team and try to make them the face of said team: (McCutchen, Trout, Machado, Kershaw, Harper, Rizzo/Bryant etc.). Would like to know what fellow OS-nites feel could be done, specifically, in terms of marketing strategy that is being done in others leagues which MLB is missing. Frankly, as I see it, part of it is a lack social media interaction between players and the public, and players among themselves. Probably the best thing that can happen to MLB in terms of generating interest and "drama" would be for Bryce Harper to do something similar to "The Decision". He seems like a magnet for "controversy" plus the fact that his next contract might be upwards 400M (which would generate interest in and of itself) that could be the synergy that takes the story off the sports page to A1. I also wonder how much of a barrier is the fact that a significant % of the workforce don't have English as their 1st language. Regardless, someone should show MLB players what this Twitter thing is. Take some chances, it won't bite.

The first thing I would do would be to put people in charge of the game that really like it and don't see it as unecessarily long and boring. MLB is enhancing this narrative that baseball is long and boring by saying they basically agree. I wonder if some of the powers that be even like the game themselves. Concentrate on the virtues of the game and market/sell them. If there are defects in your product (games are too long or whatever), don't constantly point them out to your customer. It seems like basic business 101.

For example, if I am trying to sell someone a nice watch and I keep insisting: (a) it's really not that great of a watch; (b) it sort of keeps time ok; (c) the materials and craftsmanship used are kind of cheap, then why would my customer want to do business with me? If I don't believe in my own product? I get sick of hearing Manfred tell us how little he seems to enjoy sitting through 210 consecutive minutes of baseball. I think that exuberance for the game is missing at the very top of the chain and I would start there.

[Master Live 013]

^^^Agree with all of that. Disparaging your own product is counterproductive.

I still don't know what is it that the other leagues are doing regarding marketing of individual players that MLB isn't doing.

[Speedy]

I love baseball.

I still think the league needs to reduce the down time...that's my only gripe. Not necessarily implement a pitch clock but force the batter/pitcher to comply by either having a strike/ball called to non-compliance.

That's why I love watching the LLWS...the kids are ready to pitch and are ready to hit. It's just so enjoyable.

[CMH]

Quote: Originally Posted by Master Live 013

^^^Agree with all of that. Disparaging your own product is counterproductive. I still don't know what is it that the other leagues are doing regarding marketing of individual players that MLB isn't doing.

Can you name any non baseball related commercials Kershaw, Trout are in?

There's a QB in Green Bay who still gets "discount double check" jokes. Peyton used to be everywhere.

The NBA still has retired players in commercials. When has Nolan Ryan done a commercial outside of complaining about arm pain now that he's 60?

These guys do not get products and ads because MLB doesn't push them. No one really knows who Trout is unless they care about the Angels or truly follow the sport. There are people I've seen online that didn't know a thing about baseball or basketball but knew who Kobe Bryant was and had NO IDEA who Derek Jeter was.

That's concerning. You can't get non fans interested by telling them to root for a team. It's easier when there are dynasties like the Yankees in the mid 1900s and everyone wanted to be a Yankees fan and it spread. Or the Cowboys becoming America's Team.

Today, why would you root for the Orioles and Manny Machado if you didn't live in the Baltimore area? Who the heck is Manny Machado to a non fan?

But you find people that will follow Kobe Bryant or LeBron James on name alone.

I would love to see where MLB is doing exactly the same as the other leagues in promoting their sport. Because they aren't. They actually do the opposite every chance they can get

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[WaitTilNextYear]

Quote: Originally Posted by CMH

Can you name any non baseball related commercials Kershaw, Trout are in? There's a QB in Green Bay who still gets "discount double check" jokes. Peyton used to be everywhere. The NBA still has retired players in commercials. When has Nolan Ryan done a commercial outside of complaining about arm pain now that he's 60? These guys do not get products and ads because MLB doesn't push them. No one really knows who Trout is unless they care about the Angels or truly follow the sport. There are people I've seen online that didn't know a thing about baseball or basketball but knew who Kobe Bryant was and had NO IDEA who Derek Jeter was. That's concerning. You can't get non fans interested by telling them to root for a team. It's easier when there are dynasties like the Yankees in the mid 1900s and everyone wanted to be a Yankees fan and it spread. Or the Cowboys becoming America's Team. Today, why would you root for the Orioles and Manny Machado if you didn't live in the Baltimore area? Who the heck is Manny Machado to a non fan? But you find people that will follow Kobe Bryant or LeBron James on name alone. I would love to see where MLB is doing exactly the same as the other leagues in promoting their sport. Because they aren't. They actually do the opposite every chance they can get Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using Tapatalk

Well, Mike Trout was in a pretty hardcore SUBWAY advertising campaign, but I think there is a good deal of truth to this. I'm not sure how effective marketing individuals would be in creating new MLB fans as in new American dollar-paying customers (rather than just people who have casually heard of a certain player before).

It strikes many of us "in the know" that people not even knowing who Mike Trout is as being outrageous. How is that possible? But if you asked 100 randoms on the street about him, who would recognize him? 20 people? 30 people? Who would recognize LeBron James or Aaron Rodgers or even a guy like Dwight Howard? Probably significantly more I'm guessing.

So, why is this the case? Well, for one, the Angels have been terribly mismanaged resulting in Mike Trout never even sniffing the World Series and the focusing power/endorsement deals than a deep championship run can have. Unlike the NBA where having the best player in the league basically gives you a 50% chance of being in the Finals, success in baseball is way more dependent on the entire team than any other major sport. Haven't the Angels been in the playoffs only 1 or 2 times since Trout has been active and performing like Mickey Mantle? And didn't they get taken apart easily by that nice Kansas City Royals team one year? He can't even get attention in his own market because of the shadow cast by the Dodgers.

What could be done about it? Well why doesn't Mike Trout participate in the HR Derby? Why doesn't MLB make "offers these guys can't refuse" to get them into these events? I mean Aaron Judge reportedly isn't sure he wants to be in the HR Derby and it would be a weird missed opportunity to not at least try to convince him otherwise. Judge is arguably the biggest thing in baseball right now (figuratively) and there's no argument that he is (literally). When Stanton did it and hit those ridiculous moonshots (at Petco?) it was seriously an event to behold that even non-fans could gawk at.

MLB working harder to get these premium talents to participate in profile-raising events would be good. More advertising campaigns like the Bryzzo one couldn't hurt either. However, there's nothing they can really do about the Angels' regime and their chronic mismanagement. lol

[Master Live 013]

Quote: Originally Posted by CMH

Can you name any non baseball related commercials Kershaw, Trout are in? There's a QB in Green Bay who still gets "discount double check" jokes. Peyton used to be everywhere. The NBA still has retired players in commercials. When has Nolan Ryan done a commercial outside of complaining about arm pain now that he's 60? These guys do not get products and ads because MLB doesn't push them. No one really knows who Trout is unless they care about the Angels or truly follow the sport. There are people I've seen online that didn't know a thing about baseball or basketball but knew who Kobe Bryant was and had NO IDEA who Derek Jeter was. That's concerning. You can't get non fans interested by telling them to root for a team. It's easier when there are dynasties like the Yankees in the mid 1900s and everyone wanted to be a Yankees fan and it spread. Or the Cowboys becoming America's Team. Today, why would you root for the Orioles and Manny Machado if you didn't live in the Baltimore area? Who the heck is Manny Machado to a non fan? But you find people that will follow Kobe Bryant or LeBron James on name alone. I would love to see where MLB is doing exactly the same as the other leagues in promoting their sport. Because they aren't. They actually do the opposite every chance they can get Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using Tapatalk

Ok, do you have any specific information to that effect? Because I doubt MLB doesn't "pushes" for their own players to get products and ads. I mean it doesn't make sense, why wouldn't they?

And isn't this also on MLB's official partners to come up with creative advertisement campaigns? I mean, companies pay millions to ad agencies to come up with advertisement campaigns but MLB has to do that legwork for them too?

I feel there is some chicken and the egg effect going on here. Why would, a State Farm-like company initiate an ad campaign with Mike Trout when he isn't that famous or recognizable yet how would Trout become that famous or recognizable without the ad campaign in the first place?

In the NFL players like Aaron Rodgers are intrinsically famous by the mere fact that they are great players that play in by far the most popular sport in the United States. So they have a built in advantage.

But what about the NBA? LeBron and his Kia commercials for example? I think Kia is, one of, if not their main partner during the All-Star Break. I can't think of a single MLB All-Star game main sponsor except for Century 21 and I just took a look at the MLB official sponsor's page and they aren't a sponsor anymore. Frankly, no official MLB sponsor comes to mind except for T-Mobile. LeBron and the top players just seem to have a higher Q-rating than MLB players. Probably do to the inherent fact of 1/5 players, which makes their individual contribution more impactful on the court and they get recognize as such in TV (SportsCenter etc.).

I just don't know, I would like to think that better, much handsomely paid minds in the Commissioner's office have thought about this and they are trying their best. Maybe they should clean house and fire them all. Or maybe it is simply the fact that baseball has become of a regional sport and there's no advertisement campaign that can overcome that. Maybe there's a cap for MLB players that can't be overcome.

Nah, I don't want to think that way. We are one creative ad campaign away from turning this around *crosses fingers*

Well, I have rambled for too long.

[Master Live 013]

I still think social media is a key to growth of the popularity of the game.

Plus embrace the natural state of the game. The game is too long? Well, thinking as a time to relax. Plus baseball is really a numbers game and with the rise of analytics (not just in sports, but politics, cost-benefit analysis etc.) maybe it can be at the forefront of the new zeitgeist:

"Baseball: the thinking man's game". (TM)

You know, going counter-culture. "Smart kids like baseball"

[CMH]

All valid points. I didn't want to quote the walls but I read them.

I do think MLB needs to step up their game in house first.

Their partners, I don't know the deal. I think of stuff like Blake Griffin and his weird Kia commercials and I'm wondering why Stanton couldn't do that sort of thing. Are baseball players too serious? Can't be true all the way around, and for every star.

As for Trout, he is just one example. Why didn't Lincecum or Zito get big in marketing? Both could easily fit a certain type of character in a commercial?

Where is the fun?

And the best thing is you don't have to watch this stuff. It's just a commercial. So if you hate the idea of fun commercials, ignore them.

But we need more individual pushes. At least experiment with something.

Advertisers need someone who changes how baseball is marketed. And it needs to be something different than the others.

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