Marlins Take A Chance

The Florida Marlins are having a lot of trouble bringing people into the ballpark these days. Last year the team was ranked dead last in Major League Baseball with an average of less than 15,000 seats filled. To give you an idea, this is less than 40% of the available seating in the stadium.

In 2003, the team was selling out tickets as the team eventually made it to the World Series. They had an exciting team that Marlins fans were willing to pay big bucks to see. Now that the team is struggling to win games, fans are losing interest. The Marlins also have the disadvantage of being a relatively new team. They joined the MLB less than 15 years ago so they do not have fans who have been by their side their whole lives. Other struggling teams at least have fans who have been there for the good and bad times. These fans went to ball games with their grandfathers when they were younger. These established teams have a tradtion that they share with their fans, so they are more loyal. There are less loyal Marlins fans for the simple fact that they are new. To build up their loyalty they need another way to fill the seats in their stadium.

For the 2007 season, the Marlins are taking a chance on 3 TV commerials that break the traditional mold. They are using actual players from the team as actors in their commercials. The idea for the ads is for the players to be in full uniform and approach people doing things in their everyday lives such as shopping in a supermarket or watching TV in their living room. The players stop these people and ask them something to the effect of, "Where were you last night?" The ads playfully, but agressively ask the fans what they were doing last night that was better than going to a ball game. The team wants to see if this up-close and personal approach works with the Florida fans. The ads are somewhat humerous in their tone and the way players, fully suited-up, are coming up to people in unusual places to find out why they are not coming to the game.

The Marlins had to cut their payroll due to the lack of fan interst in the team. This year they plan on special promotions such as fireworks and live concerts during some games to motivate fans even more. This TV campaign is something new and the Marlins are in desperate need of success in their upcoming season.