MLB Marketing: Popular Culture and Programming Availability

The world of sports marketing is constantly evolving with the times and especially with technological trends. Major League Baseball (MLB) is no exception when it comes to competing with other major leagues such as the NFL and NBA. However, the MLB is taking into account that its audience is fairly young and likes to stay connected. As a result, the MLB is surely differentiating itself by integrating more closely with popular culture and making its programming available on all devices and form factors.

Mainly, an analysis of MLB marketing shows that it has really started focusing on making sure that popular media such as new movie releases are part of its entertainment offering. For example, to celebrate the release of the movie Iron Man 3, the Mets dedicated their opening pitch to Don Cheadle, an actor in the movie (“The Official Site of Major League Baseball”). This is most likely a mutual sponsorship effort between the movie studio and the MLB for promoting upcoming releases to massive audiences. Either way, it is an innovative way for the MLB to align its own products and services with what their fans care about. Such use of popular culture is effective because it lets fans see celebrities take to the field and join in on the tradition of watching American baseball.

The MLB has also been effective in marketing their programming services in an age when people want to consume media across all of their devices. With the iPhone, iPad and other smartphones and tablets, consumers want to be able to watch games wherever they are. Luckily, the MLB has capitalized on this opportunity by offering their MLB.tv premium service ("Watch Live Baseball Online…"). The yearly subscription is aimed at giving fans “Access over 3,500 Minor League baseball games, including nearly every Triple-A game, plus select All-Star and Postseason games, LIVE or on-demand online” ("Watch Live Baseball Online…"). By marketing a low-cost service (only $129.99 per year) to their fans, they are taking market share away from cable companies and other free providers. Plus, they are winning the mobile competition by offering rich media applications on almost every platform.

These strategies are effective because they fall in line with what most successful leagues are doing. According to Zhongbin Yin and Binli Wang in E-Commerce Leading Development Trend of New Sports Marketing, using the web to create new market opportunities is a commonality amongst professional teams that are preparing for the future. Digital marketing campaigns and virtual services are a vital way for leagues like the MLB to continue its tradition of excellence as the great American pastime. The MLB is thus continuing its effort of reinventing how they can make money and how much their loyal fan base is willing to pay for it. For the case of mobile applications and marketing their own subscription services, they are offering widespread availability and ease of use to everyone. 

As we have seen, sports marketing is undergoing a dramatic change in terms of how the MLB is positioning itself. What we see today is largely a mix of popular media integration as well as the robust use of mobile applications to market new products and services. Firstly, the example of the Iron Man 3 promotion with actor Don Cheadle is a way to align their fans’ interests with the actual sports games. Moreover, marketing mobile applications and their streaming subscriptions for games give fans a way to consume more MLB for a tiny cost. These marketing efforts are both innovative and effective for the MLB.

Works Cited

“The Official Site of Major League Baseball." MLB.com, n.d., http://mlb.mlb.com/home.

"Watch Live Baseball Online, Stream MLB Games with MLB.TV." MLB.com, n.d., http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/subscriptions/index.jsp?product=mlbtv.

Yin, Zhongbin, and Binli Wang. "E-Commerce Leading Development Trend of New Sports Marketing." Advances in Wireless Networks and Information Systems, vol. 72, 2010, pp. 303-308.