Minor+League+Baseball+Ads

Minor League Baseball Advertising

Contents

 * Benefits
 * Limitations
 * Cost
 * Reach And Frequency
 * Audience
 * Scheduling
 * Conclusion

Overview
There are many different kinds of advertising in minor league advertising. There are many different teams across the country in the minor league system and even various independent leagues. Since there are so many different teams, there are also many different advertising schemes that each team conducts. Throughout this site you will see various examples of these advertising ploys, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of them.

Benefits
Major League baseball has the numbers to their advantage, however minor league teams use their local communities to a much higher advantage than the majors, as well as much more creative advertising campaigns to attract attention. Minor League stadiums are much smaller than the majors, and teams create a much more intimate, family friendly environment for the fans in them.[|(Newman, 2005)] On average, 75 percent of the advertisements in minor league parks are local. [|(Vasquez, 2010)]A great benefit of the local feel of the parks is the advertisers know, for the most part, who will be coming into the stadium. Local businesses enjoy great advertising because they are advertising to their neighbors in the surrounding area. Also, many stadiums have special event nights that target to a specific demographic. A farm team of the Los Angelos Dodgers, the Inland Empire 66’ers has a Diamond Dig where fans can buy shovels for ten dollars to then literally dig through the field to find a diamond. The diamond is donated by a local jeweler and proceeds from the event are donated to the Diabetes Research Foundation. ("Diamond dig friday," 2010) This would be a great night to advertise to females because the advertisers know a large majority of the crowd that night will be females, in hopes of finding a diamond. Also, advertisers can account on baseball fans being in attendance on a daily basis, which is great for sporting goods stores, breweries and other stereotypes of baseball fans. media type="youtube" key="noeFgP9c2LM?fs=1" height="385" width="640" Lakewood Blueclaws participating in their own diamond dig.

Limitations
While the local advantage can be used very effectively, the reality of most minor league teams is the numbers of attendance just cannot compete with the national spot light the major league teams attract. Minor leagues most competitive league, Triple A, averaged just 7,317 fans per game in 2008 according to Street & Smith’s Sports Business Daily. [|(Street, 2008)] The local businesses can be assured their message is getting out to the local public, just not very far beyond it. The reality is the minor league system simply cannot compete with the national audience the major league system holds.

Cost
The cost of advertising at the minor league level is significantly less expensive than the major league level. Additional information on the cost of advertising at the major league level can be found at the MLB wiki. Some numbers to compare are given by [|(Vasquez, 2010)]. Typically, a full year outfield sign can range any where from 5,000 to 15,000 dollars, which is roughly less than a tenth of what a similar advertisement might cost at the major league level. An ad in the game program would probably cost around 1,000 and a promotion or theme night could range anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000. [|(Vasquez, 2010)]

Reach And Frequency
Advertising in minor league baseball provides advertisers with almost daily advertising all summer long. The majority of the people in attendance change on a daily basis as well. As stated earlier, an average of 7,317 fans attend triple A teams games with some teams having higher attendance rates and others smaller. Advertisements on the scoreboard are great in baseball games because fans frequently look at the score throughout the game. [|(Lamb, 2010)] Over all advertisers experience great reach because of the constantly changing crowd throughout the season and decent frequency especially on the scoreboard.

Audience
The audiences of minor league baseball games are obviously mostly made up of baseball fans, however minor league teams do a great job to attract more than the average baseball fan. Prices are cheaper at minor league games which means taking the family to the ballpark is a much more affordable night out for a family. Many of the team’s mascots are catered for young children’s entertainment and teams have special events to draw in particular crowds. The New England based dating service, A Match Made In 7 recently help a speed dating night at several parks throughout the North East, which could attract people not necessarily interested in baseball. [|(Vasquez, 2010)]

Scheduling
A flaw, or advantage depending on how you look at it, is the fact that the scheduling of advertising for minor league teams is limited to the length of the baseball season, late spring through early fall. This could be an advantage to advertisers looking to sell summer products, such as vacation services or ice cream, but also hinders any winter products, like ski mountains or heating services.

Conclusion
Minor league baseball is a growing source of entertainment for the American public as the price of ticket prices for major league baseball continues to rise. With it’s growth in popularity, advertisers are enjoying more successful campaigns throughout the season. With more relaxed regulations enforced on the minor league level, the possibilities are endless for advertisers to experiment with. Baseball has been a part of the American lifestyle for over a century now, and with the continuing innovative strategies advertisers are coming up with; advertising in minor league baseball is a sure home run. media type="youtube" key="3InECUqy8-k?fs=1" height="385" width="480"