Brands step up to the plate at this year’s MLB All-Star Week

Today’s MLB All-Star Game, as the name implies, brings together stars from across the league. Also in the lineup for All-Star Week, which started Friday, is a litany of brands looking to do some sports marketing.

Brands play ball: As is the case with most major sporting events, there seems to be no shortage of campaigns, from traditional sponsorships to giveaways to interactive experiences around T-Mobile Park in Seattle, where the Mariners play.

• T-Mobile, with its name on this year’s host stadium, is also an official MLB partner. The company had its branding on Monday’s T-Mobile Home Run Derby, and is showcasing its tech in several ways, including testing an automated system that uses a private 5G network to challenge calls—and receive decisions on challenges—in real time.
• SiriusXM put its name on the All-Star Futures Game, a showcase for next-gen players.
• Pete & Gerry’s, a “humane egg farming” company, is activating at the park and hosted a ticket giveaway leading up to All-Star Week.

Swipe out: Mastercard is the title sponsor of this year’s All-Star Game, and will run an ad for its fraud-detection software (used by MLB to “prevent bots from stuffing the ballot box for the  All-Star Game”) twice during the game, according to Adweek.

It’s not the only financial services company with a presence; the MLB All-Star Experience Pass (a mobile app) is presented by Capital One, which is also hosting its own fan experience at Seattle’s Lumen Field.

Cheers: It wouldn’t be a sporting event without at least a few beverage brands…

• Longtime MLB partner Gatorade hosted its All-Star Workout Day on Monday, has its signature orange coolers in the dugouts all week, and handed out samples of its new Fast Twitch drink at the Home Run Derby, per Adweek.
• Budweiser, another major MLB sponsor, is reportedly doing a beer giveaway and inviting attendees to its Budweiser Clubhouse for drinks, batting practice, and to say hello to its Clydesdales.
• Corona presented the MLB All-Star Celebrity Softball Game on Saturday, and has a presence around the park.

Swing at DE&I: At the start of All-Star Week, the MLB-MLBPA Youth Development Foundation (YDF), with the help of Hall of Famer and YDF ambassador Ken Griffey Jr., put on the first HBCU Swingman Classic, a game featuring athletes from D-I HBCUs. MLB has faced criticism over decreasing numbers of Black American players in the past. Brands were in on that game too.

• T-Mobile served as the presenting sponsor, and is gearing up to host an HBCU Athlete Summit early next year.
• Nike was the uniform and apparel sponsor, while Budweiser teamed with Griffey on a line of merch.
• Sodexo Live, the hospitality partner at T-Mobile Park, selected two chefs from Sodexo-managed HBCUs to help feed athletes and fans at All-Star Week.

MLB is currently going through something of a rebrand on another front, with its new pitch clock meant to quicken the pace of the game and keep fans engaged.—AM