Today marks the celebration of the debut of baseball pioneer and superstar Jackie Robinson. The way that Major League Baseball now honors Robinson is right up there with the pink wave that has taken over the world of sports, acknowledging breast cancer and the Susan B. Komen organization. In every game played today, all players in both leagues will wear the number 42 on their backs in honor of this groundbreaking man.
But Jackie Robinson – a marketing event?
Of course it is, and a brilliant one at that. Yes, Robinson’s first day on a major league diamond – the first African American to do so – is a celebration of racial progress and civil rights. It is also a bona fide sports milestone and a societal game-changer. But it is also one incredible promotion that works because it achieves the ultimate goal of having meaning and a great storyline. And because of that, people want to be a part of it.
The opening of the film “42” coincides with this year’s MLB celebration where you’ll see that number everywhere. I watched the film this past weekend, and it’s inspiring in every way. In”42,” Brooklyn Dodgers’ exec, Branch Rickey (played by Harrison Ford) talks about his bold move to break down the color barrier in baseball by remarking that “Every dollar’s green.” While Rickey had more altruistic reasons for integrating the game, a prime motivation was to build a winning team (and the Dodgers in fact won the pennant in Robinson’s first season). The film broke box office records, leaping past other baseball movie debuts in box office revenue.
Symbolically, 42 is a number that no baseball player on any team will ever again wear (except the Yankees’ Mariano Rivera, and he’s about to retire). No one else – in any sport – can make that lofty Jackie Robinson claim.
I’m no Paige Nienaber, and I can’t always dissect why some promotional events work while others fail. But a look at the 42 phenomenon and what it means to people is an object lesson in relevance and resonance. Here are ten reasons why it works:
First, it’s an incredible story – and it’s true. As we discuss a lot here on the JacoBLOG, a great story trumps a contrived event or promotion any day of the week. Build a benefit, a fundraiser, or even a promotion or giveaway around a story that’s real, and you just went well beyond a caller 9 contest, a jello jump, or giving away $1,000 a day.
Second, people love to retell it. The Jackie Robinson story has all the right elements, and it’s a story that people love to pass along. If you’re in the know, you can tell others. If you’ve never heard of him or you wonder about what all the hoopla is about, you can bet that someone in your tribe or workplace will be more than happy to explain it to you. A great story that’s interesting to tell is what being truly “viral” is all about.
Third, it’s organic. Like a lot of great events and promotions, this one wasn’t started by a marketing department nor was it pretested in focus groups. Former major leaguer Ken Griffey, Jr. was the first to honor Robinson by wearing 42 on his jersey back in 1997. Since then, this event has grown exponentially, and as Griffey said more recently, “It was just my way of saying thank you, my way of giving back. I had no idea it would turn into something like this.” That’s the way great events become annual and relevant.
Fourth, he had management support. You may not always love the decision-making of MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, but instinctively, he got this one right. As he noted, it was a no-brainer when Griffey asked for official clearance to don #42. Here’s Selig’s side of the story: “He asked my permission to do that, and I, of course, granted it. It told me a lot, however, about Ken, about how much he understood the history, how much he understood the impact of Jackie Robinson. So I’ve often gotten credit for something, but really he made a phone call to me on a Sunday night at home that I’ll never forget.”
Fifth, it grew virally. Over the ensuing years, more and more major leaguers got into the act, recognizing the importance of Robinson, and a memorable way to honor him.
Sixth, it was scalable. Twelve years later in 2009, Selig made it official – every major league ball player will wear Robinson’s #42 on April 15th every year. This event, promotion, or whatever you want to call it has become a standard for a sport that hasn’t always been in step with the times or with fans.
Seventh, it’s authentic. As moviegoers will now realize, the Jackie Robinson story is one for the ages. For the MLB not to deeply connect with it would have been a major league mistake. In an arena of showoffs, knuckleheads, roid ragers, and blowhards, Robinson was a class act whose genuine accomplishments tug at your heartstrings.
Eighth, it transcends the cumers and P1s. That’s to say that while core baseball devotees were celebrating Jackie Robinson before “42 Day,” this event now goes well beyond MLB’s core. This story resonates with people who don’t even bother with baseball. That speaks to its power and relevance.
Ninth, it’s clean and simple. When you look out at an MLB game today or tonight, you instantly “get” that something’s different because while every player is different, they all look the same. Baseball’s brawl last week between the Dodgers and Padres melts away when you see every player, coach, and manager coming together for a common purpose. Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs, Tigers. On this day, they’re all on the same team.
Tenth, fans want to be a part of it. While low-key, MLB sells Jackie Robinson authentic jerseys, and you can bet that many will be wearing them to games today in a show of support for an amazing milestone in sports. When fans buy in to your story or cause, it becomes that much more powerful.
Not every promotion, fundraiser, or community event your station undertakes can have this type of fan connection. But if you look for some of these elements as opportunities make themselves available, you may be able to better seize those moments.
Meaningful events, promotions, and fundraisers are what can set broadcast radio apart from its new competition, too. I hope you don’t interpret my post today as demeaning a celebration and a major event in our history. But these amazing life moments provide brands with the opportunity to show they care and that they get it.
Our stations need to go beyond the mundane, the tried and true, and doing the same things year in and year out. We have to work hard, smart, and strategically to strike that responsive chord with listeners and the communities we serve.
Congrats to MLB for hitting this one out of the park.
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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