How Marketing — and Championships — Changed the Red Sox Image, with CMO Adam Grossman

What kind of power can a World Series ring wield? Think of it like this: For nearly a century, no sports franchise dealt with, more frustration and heartache than Boston’s beloved Red Sox. The brand was known for the famed curse from the deal that sent Babe Ruth to the Yankees and a bouncing ball that squeaked under the glove of Bill Buckner. Sure the Red Sox had Fenway Park, the Monster, and Pesky’s Pole. But you don’t play the games to dance in the shadows of your competitors — and you don’t sell tickets that way, either. You play to win, and winning sells.

That’s Adam Grossman, the CMO of the Boston Red Sox, one of Major League Baseball’s most iconic, prideful, and long-tortured franchises. But also one of the most popular and in recent years, one of the most successful in the win column and in the marketing world. Adam joined the club in the spring of 2004, just before the club’s run of four championships over a 16-year window, and just before Curt Schilling’s bloody sock helped will them to their first championship since 1918. And during that time, the club’s image has changed dramatically, from loveable loser to perennial champion. While success on the field plays a big role, sports franchises are responsible for their own brand, and when you’re the Red Sox, being entrusted with that brand is a major responsibility. In this episode Marketing Trends, Adam breaks down the ins and outs of stewarding a sports club’s marketing efforts, how baseball must continue to reinvent itself to appeal to a younger generation, and why managing the customer experience outside of the ballpark is a growing challenge.

Main Takeaways:

• The Ballpark Gets Bigger: The biggest challenge facing sports marketers today remains the expanded customer experience. Marketers have to meet their consumers at various touch points beyond just the ballpark. So from interactions within the community, to the brand’s voice and interaction on digital, the marketing playing field continues to expand at a rapid rate.
• It’s A Different Game Now: Baseball has its challenges, just like any other industry. One of those is appealing to younger fans. While baseball maintains its popularity, marketers are working on new ways to interact with fans to grow the game even more and they are using everything from virtual experiences to unique behind-the-scenes content on digital platforms to do so.
• Do We Have Enough Bats and Balls?: In sports, your revenue streams are limited to big-bucket items such as ticket sales, sponsorships and broadcasting rights. While marketing departments are small in sports, because you have limited opportunities, marketers must be creative when it comes to maximizing those streams and being conscious of where you funnel your resources.

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