It’s been 174 combined years since the Cubs and Indians hoisted a World Series title. Also years in the making – the massive MLB TV-deal which was struck in the Selig-era (singed in 2012 and put in effect in 2014). The eight-year deal from FOX, TBS and ESPN was worth combined $12.4 billion for the league.
With FOX retaining the rights to the World Series for its 17th straight year, 30-second ads were selling for a reported $500K. So if you’re a brand anteing up that kind of cash, your ad better be memorable. With that said, we’ll take a look at the top ad spots and features from Game 1 of the World Series on Tuesday night.
- T-Mobile “Commercial Free Break” – T-Mobile went in strong and bought out an entire game-break following the second inning in their integrated campaign #UnlimitedBaseball. Instead of breaking for commercials, the presumably pricey feature went to the on-site FOX analysts (which includes Alex Rodriguez and Pete Rose) to evaluate the early innings. The broadcasters then asked fans to vote on a winner to the T-Mobile #UnlimitedBaseball contest to find the number on baseball fan who participated in the photo contest on Twitter or Instagram. The winner would receive two tickets to every game of the 2017 World Series.
- Taco Bell “Taco Hero” – Taco Bell owned the bottom of the 1st inning. The fast food chain is once again utilizing their “Steal a Base, Steal a Taco” promotion throughout the World Series. If a player steals a base during the World Series, the player is coined a “Taco Hero” and America will receive a free Doritos Locos Taco. During the opening inning, Cleveland’s Francisco Lindor took advantage of a notable bad pickoff pitcher (Jon Lester) to steal second. In just that inning, Taco Bell saw a whopping three promotional reads.
- Bank of America “7th Inning Stretch” – Bank of America synced perfectly with this ad running in the middle of the 7th inning – and the creative themes were on point. Check it out on YouTube here.
- MetRx “Pressure” – Airing just before the first pitch, this commercial’s authenticity, staring Cubs star Addison Russell, nearly felt like a pre-game story produced by FOX. Check it out on