Crayola and Minor League Baseball, today, announced a partnership for the 2017 season designed to attract more young baseball fans to the family friendly world of the minors. It is the first professional sports sponsorship for Crayola whose products include arts and crafts supplies, outdoor chalks and paints, and, of course, crayons which have been the cornerstone of their brand since 1903.
According to David Wright, Chief Marketing & Commercial Officer for Minor League Baseball, a partnership with Crayola, “simply makes sense,” as both brands are focused on family friendly entertainment. The partnership will include integrated media offerings geared towards a constantly growing base of Minor League Baseball fans with select ballparks also featuring exclusive Crayola experiences.
To top it all off, Crayola will be sponsoring the Crayola All Star Experience which, according to their press release, gives fans “unprecedented access and an up close and personal look into MiLB.”
Major League Baseball has made it a top priority to attract young people to the sport over the past several years and this partnership with Crayola is another in a long line of outreach and marketing programs in that vein. While attendance at the Major League level continues to be strong, the growth of Minor League Baseball’s popularity (over 42 million visitors in 2015) seems like the perfect place to attract those young fans.
Minor League teams, often in markets too small for the big shots, offer a more affordable, intimate baseball experience for fans and a more “hometown” feel as people follow their local heroes as they make their way through the system. How Crayola can fit into that experience remains to be seen but any exposure to the minors should be seen as a positive.
Mimi Dixon, Customer Development & Activation for Crayola, promises that her company will “surprise and delight families next season with fun, color and creativity.”