MLB & Hat Partner New Era Roll Out #CapsOn For New Baseball Season Opening Day

To harness the excitement in the weeks before the start of Major League Baseball’s regular season, the MLB and its official cap partner New Era launched #CapsOn – an integrated, participatory campaign that aims to generate pre-season anticipation and excitement.

The initiative, which spans TV spots, social media and in-store work, aims to encourage baseball fans across the country to wear their team caps on opening day regardless of whether they are at home, stuck in the office or at the game itself.

(Oddly, while 4 April is officially baseball’s opening day, 2016 sees three nationally televised games take place on the day before).

The campaign, which first began rolling out on1 March, is championed by TV ads that will air not just on broadcaster ESPN and the MLB Network, but also across YouTube and Facebook videos.

The campaign is fronted both by fans and several MLB stars including Bryce Harper, Buster Posey and Andrew McCutchen.

The initial 30-second commercial was launched on 16 March and features an array of fans (of all ages, genders and ethnicities) backing all teams.

It was further supported by team-specific social spots: such as this New York Yankees version whoich was posted on the Yankees own YouTube channel.

While for New Era, its own initial 15-second star player fronted teaser rolled out in March

before the launch on 4 April itself of a 30-second ‘This Is The Cap’ commercial.

The campaign also spans bespoke signage in more than 2,100 stores – including Dick’s Sporting Goods, Lids and MLB stadium stores.

The league itself is also pushing the campaign on its central social sites and the social media channels of its teams through fan giveaways, player appearances and fan game footage on opening day.

Put your #CapsOn and enjoy the ride.

4.4.16https://t.co/WQ0VvH9Ldw

— MLB (@MLB) April 3, 2016

Rep your squad. Don your cap. #CapsOn

4.4.16https://t.co/T4S2jJV8F0

— MLB (@MLB) April 2, 2016

#CapsOn. Pass it on. https://t.co/MNTdcfGX1S

4.4.16 pic.twitter.com/bmnKCWOb2f

— MLB (@MLB) April 2, 2016

Plenty of other brands, such as media outfits like Bleacher Report, also got in on the #CapsOn action to amplify the campaign.

Get your #CapsOn, #OpeningDay is almost here pic.twitter.com/6Xr8ggrCo8

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 2, 2016

‘Opening Day is the greatest time of year,’ argues EVP Business at MLB Noah Garden.

‘Everybody is leading the division, so everybody wants to show their colours in one way or another. Putting their caps on lets fans show their passion.’

A building lighting partnership also saw New York’s Empire State Building light up in all the colours of the MLB teams to mark Opening Day.

In celebration of #OpeningDay, the @EmpireStateBldg will be garnished in colors of ALL 30 clubs tomorrow night. pic.twitter.com/0ZRLYIg7D5

— MLB (@MLB) April 2, 2016

Comment:

We tip our hats to #CapsOn – which looks like a major success.

The main spot racked up 550,000 YouTube views on the MLB site in the two weeks before the season started, while, according to New Era baseball category director Tony DeSimone ‘the #CapsOn video is New Era’s most-liked video on Facebook ever’.

‘Combined with MLB, we’ll be getting a lot of impressions from a brand perspective, and from a sales perspective, because we’re driving buzz to a higher level,’’ DeSimone said.

‘It should drive people to their local stadium store or Lids store to buy a cap.’

The MLB is deploying a range of social media content for the new season across multiple league and team channels.

Initiative range from the successful MLB’s Snapchat Day on 11 March (which saw players publish Snapchat stories from spring training games, was a huge success),

Head over to @Snapchat, because these #CapsOn lenses are about to make your Sunday. pic.twitter.com/CCY3UN9ry2

— MLB (@MLB) April 3, 2016

to the league’s use of pre- and post-game Periscope live video across its channels,

LIVE on #Periscope: Let's go! #Rays #OpeningDay BP. https://t.co/WU46L6dNk7

— MLB (@MLB) April 3, 2016

as well as continuing to use of other technologies such as Vines

First BP at PNC with Jordy Mercer, @jhay_da_man & John Jaso #WeGotFirst #OpeningDayPNC https://t.co/eOYGxt2Z3M

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) April 3, 2016

and Gifs.

Tonight’s @Mets–@Royals game is the 1st #WorldSeries rematch on #OpeningDay in @MLB history. https://t.co/uia1l7DMhl pic.twitter.com/jWN6iziRnL

— MLB Stat of the Day (@MLBStatoftheDay) April 3, 2016

Social is a big part of what the MLB does as it is an effective way to reach fans and keep the excitement of opening day going, harnessing the buzz and making the MLB more visible and accessible.

This year also saw the MLB run a ‘My Opening Day’ photo and video sharing initiative on its MLB Fans App incentivised by an official MLB gear giveaway.

Upload your #MyOpeningDay photos & videos to the MLB Fans app for a chance to win MLB gear. https://t.co/DnquYGt1rk pic.twitter.com/6Ny5RhUVqd

— MLB (@MLB) April 3, 2016

Another league Opening Day content activation saw the MLB activate around the building excitement around the bookie’s World Series favourites Chicago Cubs and their quest to end their long, long title drought.

Will this season see the end of the so called Cubs Curse and the team’s ‘losingest record in baseball’?

Links

MLB YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/user/MLB

MLB Twitter:

https://twitter.com/mlb

MLB Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mlb/

MLB Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/mlb

MLB Google+:

https://plus.google.com/u/1/+MLB/videos

MLB Website: