Companies usually depend on campaigns to create buzz, but in the case of Major League Baseball’s “There’s Only One October” campaign, MLB is hoping teams can create their own buzz on the field and strengthen the overall message being presented in the campaign: that playoff baseball is too exciting to miss.
The commercials will evolve as the races evolve, featuring more prominentaly players that are having a greater impact on their team’s chances of reaching the postseason.
The $65 million push – the most expensive ever by MLB, $15 million more than last year’s playoff campaign – debuted yesterday and includes stars from FOX and TBS, both of which will air playoff games, and plays up both historical playoff moments as well as the excitement of this year’s pennant races.
Last year’s campaign of the same name featured Dane Cook, but MLB and the networks decided to cross promote the playoffs with network personalities this year. Stars from the networks such as Randy Jackson, Jeff Foxworthy, Frank Caliendo and Bill Engvall are seen blogging about the excitement of October because “Blogging is kind of the high currency in the interactive space right now,” according to Tim Brosnan, MLB’s executive vice president for business.
The campaign, created by McCann Erickson with the support of MLB Productions, will be supported by online, print and radio supplements.
