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The Toronto Blue Jays are telling Torontonians they belong at the game with a new marketing campaign that launched in time for tonight’s season opener.
Running until the end of the regular season, the campaign from Publicis Canada includes four 30-second TV spots, radio and print.
Three of the TV spots feature Blue Jay players Scott Rolen, Roy Halladay and Vernon Wells coming face-to-face with overzealous fans during their regular day-to-day life.
“In the past we’ve highlighted the unique abilities that the Jays’ players demonstrate on the field,” said Duncan Bruce, managing partner, executive vice-president and creative director, Publicis Toronto, in a release. “This time around we use humour to emphasize the passion and excitement that erupts when sitting in the stands at a game.”
One of the spots, entitled “Drive-Thru,” opens with Rolen placing his order at a fictional fast food chain called Mammoth Burger. As he starts to order, he is instantly recognized and interrupted by the restaurant employee.
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When Rolen pulls up to the drive-thru window for his order, the excited employee heaps praise upon the embarrassed ballplayer.
“Your defence…flawless. Your bat…sweet. Thank you for never folding under pressure,” he says as he passes Rolen his order. “You’re like a rock. Your ‘Rockin Rolen.’ You’re ‘Scott the Rock.’ You’re solid as a rock.”
In “Negotiator,” a bank robber demands Halladay’s autograph as ransom upon learning the baseball player is outside, while a third execution depicts a crowd gathering around Vernon Wells as he attempts to unlock his car with a coat hanger after locking his keys inside.
Each spot uses the new tag line: “You belong at the game.”
“This year we approached Publicis with a new objective for the Blue Jays: to communicate the experiential aspect of the game and highlight our fans’ passion for the product and the entertainment we deliver,” said Laurel Lindsay, the Blue Jays’ vice-president of marketing, in the release.
The TV spots are scheduled to run during game broadcasts, with radio and print running on select Toronto stations and in daily newspapers.
