Grilling All-Stars
How BAM Built the First National Minor League Baseball Sponsorship for a Coalition of Complementary BBQ Brands — Activating All 140 Teams Simultaneously
The Challenge
A group of complementary barbecue brands shared a common need: a cost-effective national summer sponsorship that could be activated locally to drive incremental merchandising support in grocery and regional retail stores. Individual sponsorships were cost-prohibitive. A fragmented, team-by-team approach was operationally unmanageable. They needed a single, unified platform that could work at national scale while delivering genuine local relevance.
The Approach
BAM identified Minor League Baseball as the ideal vehicle — a sport with deep community roots, passionate local fan bases, and significant untapped potential for CPG brand partnerships. We negotiated a first-of-its-kind national sponsorship with Minor League Baseball that activated across all 140 MiLB teams simultaneously, creating a unified platform with genuine local resonance in markets across the country.
The program gave participating BBQ brands a comprehensive suite of activation assets, including:
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In-park retailer signage at all 140 MiLB stadiums nationwide
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In-store promotional signage, ad slicks, and social media headers for retailer sell-in
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Sweepstakes elements including game tickets, group tailgate parties, and a "Batboy for a Day" experience available at every home game
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Access to Minor League Baseball's and individual teams' combined social media reach to amplify participating brands
BAM trained the client sales force on retailer sell-in strategy, equipping them with tailored sales decks and event usage materials to maximize local and regional grocery support.
BAM Services Provided: Sponsorship Research & Procurement · Sales Decks & Event Usage Training · Social Media Content · Point-of-Sale Materials · Event Measurement
The Results
⚾First-ever national CPG sponsorship activated across all 140 Minor League Baseball teams
🛒Incremental merchandised volume delivered at every participating retailer
📈Promotion was a standout success with local and regional retailers seeking differentiation from national competitors
📣Amplified reach through MiLB's national and individual team social media platforms
The program resonated most strongly with local and regional grocery retailers who were eager to offer something their larger national competitors could not — a genuine community sports connection backed by measurable promotional value.
Why It Worked
Minor League Baseball represents one of the most underleveraged sponsorship assets in American sports. With 140 teams in markets of all sizes, MiLB offers CPG brands something the major leagues rarely can: authentic local relevance at national scale. BAM's ability to negotiate a single, unified partnership — rather than 140 individual team deals — made a program of this scope operationally viable and cost-effective for the first time.
Interested in building a sports sponsorship platform that works at both national and local levels? Contact BAM to learn how we can engineer a program tailored to your brand's retail objectives.
