MiLB Offers Series Marketing Opps, Too

About 80 miles separate the cities of Philadelphia and New York. As fans all along the NJ Turnpike get geared up for the series, so too are regional companies of all sizes looking to capitalize on a massive marketing opportunity.

But alas, the Yankees (and MLB for that matter) are known for vigorously defending their marks and team sponsorships are often out of reach for mid-size business anyway. At this point in any case, it would be impossible to tie-in to the excitement in an official capacity.

What's a marketer to do? One perhaps overlooked opportunity is with the Trenton Thunder, who recently announced a "Choose Your Champ" contest. What makes this any different from any number of other similar promotions? The Trenton Thunder, residing in metropolitan Philadelphia, are the New York Yankees' minor league affiliate. Interestingly, Trenton was officially shifted from the Philadelphia metropolitan area to the New York metropolitan area after the 2000 census.

“We wanted to give our regional fan base the chance to celebrate this once-in-a-generation match-up,” said Thunder General Manager, Will Smith. “This contest will reward one lucky fan with the opportunity to celebrate with the 2009 World Series Champions.”

No matter who that turns out to be. The winner will receive an all-expenses paid trip for two people to go to either the Phillies or Yankees 2010 Regular Season Home Opener.

"We are getting unbelievable feedback all over the web, and our unique location (Trenton, the dividing line of Yankees and Phillies fans) gave us an opportunity to capitalize on it," said Manager of Corporate Partnerships at the Trenton Thunder, Marty Teller.

For the past 14-seasons the Trenton Thunder have topped 400,000 in attendance. That's about a tenth of those entering the new Yankee stadium turnstiles this year, but nothing to sneeze at in middle New Jersey.

Did marketers in the Northeast Corridor miss out on a cost efficient Series sponsorship tie-in?