Alyssa is a senior reporter for Marketing Brew who’s covered sports for three years, with a particular interest in brand investment in women’s sports. Prior to that, she wrote about podcast and audio advertising for Marketing Brew and Business Insider and was a data journalist for Morning Consult. She started her career covering crime and breaking news for the Boston Globe and the Virginian-Pilot.
Coming out of the 2025 World Series, MLB has some serious momentum with new and younger baseball fans, which it plans to keep going with a robust media and content strategy.
The platform announced several expansions and updates to its ad inventory and tools, while execs emphasized the benefits of the platform for B2B marketers looking to do away with “old playbooks,” one VP said.
Focusing on an athlete’s humanity over a highlight reel is something some marketers are considering, execs tell us.
The team’s marketing initiatives are meant to resonate across all of “Braves Country,” which spans Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, part of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
“We don’t want to replace someone else’s jersey patch,” CMO Sean Gilpin said. “To be a founding partner is a unique opportunity to really have credibility in the relationship with the fans.”
After conducting offseason research, the league is targeting fan groups more narrowly with its fourth annual kickoff campaign.
Heading into March Madness, basketball leads the way in terms of fandom, with 64% of women’s college sports fans following hoops.
“We want to be the storyteller of record for women’s sports,” co-founder Jessica Robertson said.
Powerade was the official sports drink of March Madness until this year, when the company swapped in its sister brand.
From its opening campaign to partnerships lasting beyond the World Cup, the league is primed to “pull every lever” in an effort to convert four-year fans into die-hard audiences.
