TORONTO BLUE JAYS BEGIN BASEBALL NORTH CAMPAIGN
By Adnews Staff
The Toronto Blue Jays have begun a marketing campaign called "Baseball North." The campaign, created by MacLaren McCann of Toronto, uses the tagline "It's a Different Kind of Game Up Here." The first two of nine 30-second television commercials will break on local networks in the Greater Toronto and Buffalo areas this week. The first ad takes place in a laundry room. A group of players wearing pink uniforms find a red lumber jacket in the team's laundry. The second ad shows team manager Carlos Tosca and hitting coach Mike Barnett swatting black flies, accidentally sending a signal to batter Josh Phelps. Transit advertising, which began last month, is running inside and on the exteriors of buses and on transit shelters and subway platforms. That creative depicts players Phelps, Carlos Delgado, Eric Hinske, Vernon Wells and Cory Lidle. The campaign, which also includes radio and print advertising, includes support from Coca-Cola, Crystal Springs, Mr. Sub, Avis, Pizza Pizza, Labatt Breweries and Rogers Communications. These firms are promoting the team with in-store materials, product branding, vehicle branding and consumer promotions.