CINCINNATI, OH – Following the build up to a successful All Star Game, and a grim slide that has taken the team out of playoff contention, the Cincinnati Reds continue to look at ways to market their team to the community. The latest effort from the Reds marketing team is an aggressive reminder to fans that at least for the near future, it is still, in fact, baseball season.
“Things really slowed down,” said Reds assistant marketing services manager Connie Swale. “We realized that we needed a big marketing push after the All Star Game. People are getting in that back to school mode. We all know that once high school football season starts in Cincinnati, it’s pretty much all over. So we decided to take it back to basics. Maybe they just forgot how long the season is. Well we are ready to remind them. We are ready to say, loudly and proudly, to every fan in Reds Country, ‘Hey guys, it’s still baseball season. Maybe come catch a game sometime?’”
Other slogans for the Reds’ new marketing plan include, “It’s not cold out. Perhaps the Reds are playing. Because, well, it’s still baseball season.” and “March Madness takes place in March. Baseball season happens in the summer and early fall. Which is right now.”
“Unfortunately, we are fighting an uphill battle,” said Reds vice president Daryl Combs. “Stores advertise back to school earlier and earlier. There will probably be Christmas displays up in stores by the end of August. Pumpkin beer gets released in July. All of this makes people forget that baseball is still going on. It might not be exciting. It might not be winning. It might be played by some prospects who we will trade if they ever become good. But, by golly, it’s still being played.”
The new marketing plan replaces the previous strategy the Reds were trying. This consisted of waiting for fans to accidentally wander toward Great American Ballpark and buy a ticket, accidentally thinking that it was actually Bengals training camp.