Major League Bseball today released a new public affairs campaign, titled Baseball Believes, featuring a pair of amusing spots starring Steve Carell, Ken Jeong & Colin Hanks re-creating "signature moments in baseball history that led fans across the nation to believe that anything was possible." (Watch the longer version below.)

According to MLB's press release, the campaign was filmed at Boston's historic Fenway Park as part of a longstanding collaboration between Major League Baseball, its 30 Clubs and Stand Up To Cancer — a non-profit initiative of the Entertainment Industry Foundation that rang the opening bell at the NYSE this morning.Continue reading...

After this weekend, a whole slew of Major League Baseball’s biggest names will be heading to Kansas City for next week’s All-Star Game. And when you’ve got a bunch of big names together, marketers can’t be far behind.

While the July 10th game itself will have plenty of Your Brand Here Moments for the FOX cameras, some advertisers aren’t waiting for Tuesday’s game to attach their name to the 2012 event.

State Farm is sponsoring the HomeRun Derby on July 9th on ESPN. Firestone sponsored the final fan Twitter vote that will get the last few players onto the team. All-Star voting is a bit more of a popularity contest than anything else and the final hours of fan support can be frenetic. What better time for a marketer to get its name in front of a massive amount of eyeballs?

Chevrolet, which is not coincidentally the official vehicle of Major League Baseball, is also getting itself out into the public eye early by bringing a fleet of its 2013 cars, trucks, and crossovers out to K.C. to showcase to baseball fans (and whoever else wants to take a gander).

"We're looking forward to introducing our family of Chevrolet vehicles to current and new customers in Kansas City, and celebrating our shared love of baseball," stated Phil Caruso, Chevrolet national promotions manager. "We will have product displays, ride and drives and other activities around Kansas City to enhance the fan and customer experience."

Every weekend, millions of kids take to the baseball fields of the world and hope that they’ll play well enough to win and be noted for their excellence. And plenty of them dream that they’ll keep moving on up the ladder, finishing up in a pile at the end of Game 7 of the World Series, which they have of course just won by either throwing a perfect game or hitting a grand slam with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.

But with 25 players on each Major League team at one time and 30 rosters to fill, there are only 750 spots to fill in the big leagues at any one time. Now those players who want a shot at the big-time will have a new place to showcase their skills. A new pro-ball league, owned by California-based Godfather Media, is now getting ready to batter up, and the American West Baseball League has just unveiled its logo.Continue reading...

The Yankees have had some odd brand extensions before: How about some Yankees Sod and Grass Seed at Home Depot for your own Field of Dreams? Or a Yankees Halloween lawn ornament? Or maybe you need a few $545 New York Yankees stained-glass hanging billiards light?

For the fan that wants to actually smell like a Yankee, though, they are finally in luck. The team has approved an official fragrance, and plans to unveil two different perfumes later this month, very simply entitled “New York Yankees” (for him) and “New York Yankees For Her,” according to ESPN.

Fox Sports points out that the team may have been inspired by the success of shortstop Derek Jeter’s Driven from Avon, which went on sale in November 2006. It’s done so well that Avon introduced Driven Black, which is “a mysterious blend of exotic saffron, blood orange and precious woods.” Who could ask for anything more?Continue reading...

The stakes for Ryan Braun, last season's National League Most Valuable Player in Major League Baseball, couldn't be higher after word has leaked out that he tested positive for a substance the game has banned. Not only his reputation is at stake but also a 57-game suspension and about one-third of his 2012 salary, should he not be able to overturn MLB's finding on appeal.

Braun, the left fielder for the Milwaukee Brewers, apparently is pleading that the tests somehow have been mishandled or misinterpreted amid the league's complex process, but no player ever tested positive has won on appeal. In any event, the league's final ruling isn't likely to come until January.

Meanwhile, the brands behind Braun's increasingly significant commercial endorsements are bound to be none too happy about any of this. Nike, AirTran Airways, and Cytosport, makers of Muscle Milk, had ties with Braun before he was bestowed the MVP award in November. Presumably, a number of other brands have been exploring the rising endorsement potential of the young star who is telegenic and, until now, has had a squeaky-clean reputation.Continue reading...

On Nov. 11th, the world can say goodbye to the Florida Marlins. But don’t worry, baseball fans, moments later you can say hello to the Miami Marlins.

And then the team would like you to pass along your credit card number. In a brand shift, the baseball team will change its name to Miami Marlins and is now ready to sell freshly branded shirts, hats, and every other piece of gear you could possibly want.

Baseball teams aren’t known for holding back on what they’ll slap their logo on. Need a Boston Red Sox outdoor stepping stone? A Cincinnati Reds “Halloween Trick-or-Treat Ghostie Candy Bucket”? A toaster that puts the Philadelphia Phillies logo right on the bread?Continue reading...

In an era when communications is increasingly electronic, a printed item has prevailed as both a chronicler of history and a valued piece of memorabilia.

It is the World Series program which, since 1903, has been sold at every World Series. While programs were just 10 cents during the first ten years of World Series history, a program at this year's World Series, which begins tonight when the Texas Rangers face off against the St. Louis Cardinals in St. Louis, will set fans back $15.

Still, it's a good bet the programs will be snapped up because they are "one of the most important licensed products we make," says Howard Smith the senior vice president for licensing at Major League Baseball. Ira Mayer, the editor of The Licensing Letter, adds, "It's physical and tangible, and everything else is here and gone."

Speaking with the New York Times, Smith would not reveal the number of programs sold each year, but he did say that the first game of the 2005 World Series was held at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago, with a capacity of around 41,000 — and more programs were sold than there were people in the stadium.Continue reading...

San Francisco Giants pitcher Brian Wilson (whose awesome beard deserves its own agent) is the first professional athlete in history to host a virtual event…not coincidentally the day after baseball season ended.

The Giants may have failed to make the playoffs, but Wilson's just signed onto a new pitching gig, one that harnesses the power of that epic beard. 

Wilson is helping ON24 host its VUE2011 conference at its corporate HQ in San Francisco, drawing attention with a tagline: “fear the beard, not the technology.” It's meant to tout the ease, economy and effectiveness of virtual participation via iPhone and PC rather than physical attendance.

“I’m hosting the VUE because I know what it takes to win, in both sports and business. Just like in baseball, business success requires confidence and communication. You also need the right equipment. Virtual events are the communications platform for high-performance companies. In the VUE, you’ll learn all about how to easily take your events—and your content—virtually anywhere,” said Wilson in a release.Continue reading...