Since regular baseball season is over and the postseason schedule begins tomorrow, I thought now would be a great time to write about utilizing promotional baseball products to hit a home run for your marketing campaign. After all, from stadium sponsorships to game day giveaways, baseball and promotional products have always gone hand-in-hand. And, it just so happens that today, October 6, is an important day in the history of Major League Baseball.
The New York Yankees won three World Series on this day in history, beating the Dodgers twice. On October 6, 1919, White Sox catcher Ray Schalk was the 2nd man ejected from a World Series. And, in 1959, a single game World Series attendance record was set with 92,706 people attending the Dodgers-White Sox game in Los Angeles.
October 6 has marked an important day in baseball history since 1882, when the first World Series was played between Cincinnati and Chicago. Cincinnati beat Chicago 4-0, starting Chicago’s long history with baseball. In fact, the Chicago Cubs have not won a World Series in over a hundred years, perhaps due to a curse cast on the team on October 6, 1945. Tavern owner “Billy Goat” Sianis cast the curse after being escorted out of Chicago’s Wrigley Field during Game 4 of the World Series for buying a seat and bringing his goat.
Despite this long losing streak, fans still love going to Wrigley Field to enjoy the ambiance, including beers, hot dogs, and of course a pre-game promotional product giveaway. From custom imprinted towels to key chains to baseball hats, promotional products are traditionally handed out to the first 10,000 attendants, guaranteeing wide brand exposure for corporate sponsors.
But promotional products can also be great assets to a marketing campaign without breaking the bank. You can personalize company T shirts or jerseys to promote unity throughout the office, and even imprint or your company’s name and logo on a coach’s jacket to honor a top executive. Or, give clients and employees promotional baseball player stress balls and Hacki Sacks to alleviate office tension. No matter which item you choose, you clients and employees alike will surely have a ball!
From the stadium to the streets, the New York Yankees certainly know how to get fans’ attention. They’ve won more World Series championships than any other team in Major League Baseball, they completed the 2009 regular season with the best overall record, and even non-baseball fans can’t avoid hearing about Alex Rodriguez’s love life (Madonna! Kate Hudson!) Earlier this month, the team increased media frenzy by unveiling a line of logo apparel at Yankee Stadium.
Take me out to the ballgame, take me out to the crowd. It is just getting full swing into baseball season and what could go better with your pretzel and beer than a 
