Yesterday was opening day for Major League Baseball. Today, my beloved Phillies, a love that dates back to my 10-year-old self pretending to be their First Baseman, will take on the Oakland A’s at Citizen Bank Park.
Most experts have the Phils finishing somewhere in the middle of the pack, even with their loaded lineup. But I, like others diehard fans, will believe from day one that the red pinstripes will make it all the way to October.
Until then, we have their new advertising campaign created by Philly agency Truth & Consequences. It’s a win and our Reel Ad of the Week.
It’s hard to remember with opening day upon us, that not such a long time ago MLB had a lockout. Baseball news fell off at a time of year when people usually get stoked for spring training. So the Phillies approached Truth & Consequences to help generate excitement and enthusiasm for the team and sport.
The T&C team’s solution was to give the City of Brotherly Love hope by making them forget about all the snow, cold temperatures and gray skies they received this winter. The agency launched a quiet OOH and TV campaign that spoke directly to Phillies fans by showing moments that mattered most – the moments and textures of the game.
Unlike other sports, baseball can elicit visceral feelings. The stadium. A lush, green field. A dirty uniform. The agency brilliantly tapped into this knowledge by featuring the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of the game. Take a look below:
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“The execution of the work is obviously pretty simple, but I think the challenge here was being able to have the confidence and restraint in order to do this. At first, there were a few ideas about how to bring the concept of “Because Baseball” to life, but once Brendan mentioned the thought of a billboard with just a patch of grass on it, we knew that we could follow the same formula to develop something of a teaser campaign for the upcoming season that felt much different from the pro sports campaigns that we’re used to,” Truth & Consequences Designer & Partner, Nick Vicente, shared with Reel 360.
The agency also released a spot. Set to Take Me Out to the Ball Game, it’s a reminder of all the things we look forward to in spring:
“The greatest compliments we’ve gotten on these is that people said they could smell the photos on the billboards. We wanted it to appeal to the senses and to let people think of their own memories and associations with baseball,” added Founding Partner & Creative Director Brendan Quinn
Sports marketing can fall into traps about being bigger, louder, and more aggressive, this campaign does the opposite. It carries a big silent bat, yet makes a lot of noise.
Go Phillies!
CREDITS:
CLIENT: Phillies
- Michael Harris, Vice President of Marketing & New Media
- Carolyn Saveri, Manager of Brand Marketing
- Meaghan Tullis, Manager of Digital Media & Content
AGENCY: Truth & Consequences
- Maggie Insogna, Founding Partner, Strategy & Client Services Director
- Brendan Quinn, Founding Partner and Creative Director
- Jim Walls, Founding Partner and Creative Director
- Nick Vicente, Designer and Employee Partner
Colin Costello is the West Coast Editor of Reel 360. Contact him at colin@reel360.com or follow him on Twitter at @colinthewriter1
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