For all you potential sponsors out there

Part of my job is talking on the radio. Part of my job is this blog. But, the part of my job that allows me to do those other two things is selling.

Wall signs, program ads, bobbleheads, radio spots, souvenir cups, et. al. You name it I've tried to sell it.

As mentioned in this post from a few days ago, the environment is a bit tough right now. However, minor league baseball is uniquely placed to take care of our fans and our partners.

There was a recent article by Jack Neff in Ad Age that drives home that theme by pointing out, well, here is the headline followed by the subhead:

Why Local Sports May Pay Off for Marketers
During Difficult Times, Investing in Community Events Can Win Consumers

I know, I know. I hate a headline that has the word may in it, too. But, hear the article out on this.

Marketers have it wrong, according to Richard Luker: In a time when consumers are hunkering down in a bad economy, they yearn for the community of local events rather than the big national ones advertisers gravitate toward. And at a time when people are making and maintaining friends virtually on the internet (and marketers put more spending there), people actually need more social networking the old-fashioned way -- face to face.

As chief strategy officer of TBA Global, an event-marketing agency, Mr. Luker has a vested interest in more money for community events. But that's not the only reason he's proposing that U.S. marketers divert $30 billion of the $300 billion they spend annually on media and marketing into local events such as Minor League Baseball, small-college and high-school sporting venues and local parks. The case for that shift, to be spelled out in his book, "Simple Community," next year is that social, economic and technological factors have been making community events increasingly important -- with smaller arguably meaning better.

Why support local teams when marketers are stretching budgets and may need to allocate what spending they have to big-league sports that command the most eyeballs? "Major League Baseball, while I like it, is not about me," Mr. Luker said. "Minor League Baseball is about me and my neighbors. I can feel like I am with my community. Reality around us is saying we want and need more of that."

Click on the headline to be taken to the article. I'm not sure if it's behind a subscriber wall or not. It isn't on the work computer, but it is at home. Weird, eh?

Then, there is this bit about corporate responsibility:

...Citibank owning naming rights for the new Mets stadium after getting government bailout money may not go over so well, he said, but support for community events seen as a necessary part of daily life could go over better. "I believe there is a complete misunderstanding of how to play this," Mr. Luker said. "What companies are doing is stopping any kind of investment that has to do with the gathering of people. ... That's a big mistake, because American brands I believe are going to be held accountable for the fact that they withdrew the kinds of things they provided as comfort during good times at the times people needed it the most."

Something to think about.

I'll leave you with some stats from the article and everything.

Even during the Great Depression, he said, spending on recreation didn't decline, remaining at around 2% to 3% of gross domestic product. That has shot up to 5% in the past 10 years, perhaps fueled by greater need, but also financed by a lot of unsecured debt.

I read this as: If people begin to pull back on their spending to reduce their debt, they are still going to want to come out to a ballgame or four in the summer time.

Potential sponsors, we may be calling you, but you can always get in touch with the team through this website.

Hurry though, because...

...92 dies insquequo Oris Dies