Historic Ball Parks Making It Work- Part 1

Over the past two months I was extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to visit two of this country's most historic ball parks. In a world of bigger is better, these ball parks are making it work by resting their laurels on their nostalgic history. Clearly I'm talking about Fenway Park in Boston and Wrigley Field in Chicago. Fenway is two years older but who is counting. Attending games at these parks made it apparent to me that when you are a smaller park you need to be creative to find ways to display sponsorships while still preserving the historic nature of the park.

Wrigley Field may have been the foundation for many sports sponsorships to come. The building of the park precedes the name Wrigley Field, which is named after William Wrigley who owned both the gum company and the team in 1926. Ahh the wonders of the internet. Below are some of the sponsorships that I saw while enjoying the game. I promise I watched some of it, and wasn't sponsorship hunting the whole time, the Cubs won! The first set of photos are from before we even stepped into the building.
This was at a dining area right outside the stadium. A lot of eye balls walking by that area. Very good to create the awareness of the partnership.

I snapped this pic because it was pouring when we first got to the park. I felt like not having these ponchos sponsored was a huge miss. EVERYONE was wearing them.

Like I said the origins of sports sponsorships...kinda :)

This was an eating and drinking area outside the stadium. How many fans do you think were inspired to purchase a Captain Morgan and Coke? Also, if they have pouring rights at the stadium that is a HUGE win.

 What is that I spy there? Under Armour? But Under Armour isn't the official sponsor of the MLB. Each company has the right to strike individual deals with teams and players. But why are there not more logos? Is it because they are trying to preserve the vines because they are staple of Wrigley Field? I think so. There is a balance of giving the sponsors good recognition in highly viewable areas and protecting the pieces of the stadium that give it character.

  Because there is a lack of space at Wrigley Field they had to be creative, and here is a couple of examples of how they got creative. I will say though that buying the roof of a new by house is pretty damn creative. Hats off to United Airlines. Still won't fly United, but hats off nonetheless.

 Wrigley Field is so dedicated to preserving their park that they only digital sign is the one you see below. That scoreboard looks like an original. I get the preservation, but it also makes it harder to enjoy the game from every angle. Also, much love to Culver's Restaurant. Wonder why? ;) The logos rotated. It is very precious space.

Our friends at Merrill Lynch are involved in more ways then one around the ball park. I do not know if I agree with the logo placement below because Merrill Lynch is not a brand that everyone can relate to. If we were sitting in a VIP area I would say this is perfect, but come on do you really think we were sitting in a VIP area. Bank of America would have been served to sponsor these then Merrill Lynch. With that said, I do think the sponsorship of remembering an old player does make sense because the content is more sophisticated like Merrill Lynch's brand. They need to find areas of the stadium that the brand can relate to.

 

Lastly, I want show you what I think is the best logo placement of all. On top of the dugout. Brilliant because all eyes are on that part of the field for a majority of the game, and its Scott's Lawn Care. What do you need to take care of a baseball field? Scott's Lawn Care. Again, makes sense for the brand and gives your logo lots of exposure.

So that is Wrigley Field through the eyes of a sponsorship enthusiast. I know I didn't get everything. Even the next morning while watching ESPN I saw an additional VERY smart logo or logos placement. On the wall behind the players so every time a camera pans to the players in the dugout you are inundated with the Wrigley gum logos like Double Mint and Juicy fruit. Ahh the perks of having the naming rights.

Look for Part 2 tomorrow when I dissect the sponsorships at the Red Sox game and the awe inspiring Fenway Park. First though, let me know what you think. Have you been to Wrigley or other parks? How do they compare?

Happy Hump Day!

Go Forth...