Background – The business side of the Minor League baseball industry views the Minor League experience as affordable family entertainment. Communities want competitive baseball in family-oriented venues where folks can enjoy America’s pastime and be entertained at a fraction of the Major League cost. The revenue lines in this business revolve around ticket sales, sponsorships, food & beverage and merchandise sales. It is a very “up and down the street business” where sales are earned by young, aggressive sales teams on a daily basis. Enter the signing of a prominent/controversial baseball player, a baseball owner’s dream and the likelihood of increased ticket sales…the stars quickly aligned to create a unique sports marketing opportunity. That’s when the Fallston Group was immediately tapped on the shoulder…
Strategy & Results – When the Worcester Tornadoes (Massachusetts) team owner called the Fallston Group (FG) at 8 PM one weekday evening, they asked if the FG could mobilize immediately to manage a possible milestone, newsworthy baseball roster signing – naturally, the FG team answered the bell. Within 20 minutes of the initial call, the FG was on the phone with Jose Canseco and team officials in an effort to create and manage a media strategy that would thrust the team and player into sports headlines.
Within 36 hours of the initial call, the FG led the efforts to launch a full media assault upon the Boston market. As a result, the FG generated nearly $500,000 in earned media value over the next 72 hours, quickly making the media effort the largest in franchise history. The FG team was “on the ground” early the morning of the announcement and quickly timed the sequencing of messaging to all stakeholders, including the international news media, so as to generate as much positive news as possible within the appropriate media segments. Message points, press releases, quotes, digital posts, advisories, plans, stories and event strategies were authored, distributed and executed across many platforms. Live shots, taped interviews and documentary requests, etc. across many mediums were managed with assertive precision so as to lengthen the value of client exposure over time.
With several timely decisions to make, the FG decided to launch the story on the morning the 100-Year Anniversary Celebration of Fenway Park (Boston, MA); Canseco was an invited guest. Additionally, the Boston sports media market was also intently covering the Boston Bruins playoff run, so the market was buzzing with sports news. Since this was an unconventional approach in that it was already a “crowded” news day, the FG strategically timed the release for 8 AM sharp to coincide with key morning drive-time radio on The Sports Hub, Boston’s sports flagship radio station. Canseco was interviewed live at the top of the hour and announced the news so as to capture the morning sports audience and move them to “breaking news” mode. The strategy paid-off and was overwhelmingly positive; the incredible media placement metrics paint the picture. The overall strategy has many more elements; for more information, contact the Fallston Group at 410.420.2001.
Jose Canseco Player Background – Canseco recorded eight 30-homerun seasons, five of them in an Oakland A’s uniform. He also played for the Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, Tampa Bay Devil Rays and New York Yankees. He ended his Major League tenure with the Chicago White Sox in 2001. Canseco earned six all-star selections, four Silver Sluggers, the Rookie of the Year Award (1986), the Comeback Player of the Year Award (1994), and the Most Valuable Player (1988). He owns two World Series Championship Rings: one from the 1989 A’s and the other from the 2000 Yankees. Canseco garnered American League MVP honors in only his third full season (1988). As one of Oakland’s “Bash Brothers,” Canseco notched 42 homers, adding a career-best 124 runs batted in while batting .307 (also a personal best). He also reached career highs in hits (187), runs (120), walks (78), stolen bases (40), total bases (347), slugging percentage (.569) and OPS (.959).
Image by setlistart.com
