MLB Announces “This Is Beyond Baseball Campaign”

In a wide-reaching ad campaign, Major League Baseball is trying to reach beyond its normal fan base to show how the sport transcends generations and families.

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL ANNOUNCES DETAILS OF “THIS IS BEYOND BASEBALL” MULTI-MEDIA MARKETING AND ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN

New Campaign Celebrates Baseball’s Unique Place in Society

Ryan Howard and Tim Lincecum First of Series of MLB Stars to be

Featured in National Television Commercials

Major League Baseball today announced the launch of a new, fully integrated multi-media marketing campaign titled “This is Beyond Baseball,” which will utilize the full breadth of MLB media assets to celebrate baseball’s unique place in the cultural fabric of society and in the lives of fans. The campaign will showcase the game’s many great players and the excitement on the field, but will also communicate the scope of baseball’s impact on people, communities and culture.

The campaign will strategically utilize the wide array of MLB media assets and the reach of media and marketing partners, as well as online activation to connect with fans. “This is Beyond Baseball” will be supported by more than 20 television spots, from the start of the season through the postseason, showcasing the emerging stars of the game, highlighting the passion of both fans and players alike, and featuring stories of teams in postseason contention. All communications related to the campaign center on the theme that baseball is more than just a game, highlighting its emotional and cultural significance. “This is Beyond Baseball” also will amplify MLB’s existing support of many important community and cause-related initiatives, helping to create awareness and positive change.

Created by McCann Erickson with the support of MLB Productions, the campaign debuted on Sunday, March 29 with a 30-minute special on MLB Network with narration by the legendary Vin Scully. “This is Beyond Baseball” television spots will feature never seen before footage, and will run on ESPN, FOX, TBS, MLB Network and MLB.com as well as locally on Club broadcasts and in-stadium. The campaign will include a series of TV spots throughout the season focusing on the unique life stories behind the game’s star players, and will launch with a pair of spots featuring Tim Lincecum of the San Francisco Giants and Ryan Howard of the Philadelphia Phillies. To further dimensionalize unique stories about how players and the game go beyond the field, MLB Network will feature weekly “This is Beyond Baseball” segments on MLB Tonight.

“This campaign will go beyond the playing field and explore the stories of our players and the influence of the game in American culture,” said Tim Brosnan, Major League Baseball Executive Vice President, Business. “This celebration of our sport will reinforce our fans’ love of baseball during this time of year when optimism reigns and every fan dreams of the World Series.”

“Baseball is special. There’s so much about this game that transcends beyond the field,” said Pete Jones, Group Creative Director, McCann Erickson. “Whether you’re in the line-up or a fan watching, the game has the ability to connect with you in a way that does not appear in a box score. And it’s timeless. This connection only grows with each game, season and generation. This generation is no exception.”

In addition, MLB.com will host BeyondBaseball.com, which will feature interactive elements of the campaign including the campaign commercials, the MLB Network special, highlighted player profiles, a photo gallery, production outtakes, online vignettes and a detailed campaign description. Also included on the Beyond Baseball home page will be a link to BeyondASouvenir.com. Beyond A Souvenir will celebrate the unique fan experience of catching a foul ball or home run ball and encourage fans to share the stories behind how they obtained their game balls, which represent the ultimate memento, and illustrate how baseball uniquely extends beyo
nd the playing field like no other sport.

Here is one of the spots that will run on TV. It’s called “Beyond Optimism”.