One of the few areas where Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig has gotten any credit during his tenure is in the area of technology -- in particular, in getting MLB's Web site, MLB.com, up to speed in dramatic fashion.
In this corporate marketing promo from SAS, you can learn exactly how MLB is leveraging its Web presence in terms of collecting detailed marketing information from baseball fans when they visit the site:
On a typical day during the Major League Baseball season, the site posts 150 original news stories. But MLB.com also takes additional steps to encourage fans to visit the site daily instead of, say, weekly. Automatically targeting specific audiences to let them know about information that might interest them is one way to keep them engaged.Instead of sending an e-mail blast to New York Yankees fans with the latest news about third-baseman Alex (A-Rod) Rodriguez, [MLB Marketing Director Kristin] Fergason says she'd rather target anyone who's ever read an A-Rod story or bought A-Rod merchandise. Specifically targeting those fans increases the likelihood that they'll respond.
One note from my previous life inside corporate marketing: Pieces like this one are notoriously difficult to nail down. In my experience, even getting a print piece produced about a relationship with a client was next to impossible, with the project under threat from multiple layers of corporate beauracracy.
Anybody at anytime could kill something like this on the client side without warning. That SAS was able to get it produced along with three supporting videos is an achievement all on its own.
You were in corporate marketing? No wonder you’re concise, yet informative.
So wuz I.
I used to loathe MLB.com; I’ve grown to love it. Baseball fans with broadband should check out Cooperstown.tv, which is running classic gmaes and other footage round-the-clock…