Situation: Outnumbered by Yankees fans 2:1, the Mets aren’t just fighting to beat the Yanks on the field, they’re constantly fighting to win a loyal fan base in NYC.

Agency Brief: Rethink the traditional methods for generating ticket sales before the official start of the season, and generate hype for the upcoming season.

Objectives:

Amplify Awareness. Inspire as many people as possible in the tri-state area, Mets fans and non-fans, to pre-purchase tickets for the 2023 Mets baseball season.

Create a Media Blitz. Prior to the start of the season, turn attention toward the Mets and away from the Yankees to garner PR and punch into culture.

Bolster Brand Love. Create a new desire to be a part of the 2023 season, and renew a sense of pride and enthusiasm for Mets fandom to increase brand love and generate ticket sales.

Creative Idea: Wear your Mets hat. Unlock NYC.

On March 25, 2023, the New York Mets (AKA the Amazin’ Mets), launched Amazin’ Day — a citywide takeover, where we turned a Mets hat into a key that unlocked New York City. Inviting Mets fans, new and old, to unlock free access and experiences at prestigious NYC institutions like the Met Museum, Gotham Comedy Club, the Brooklyn Museum, Met Opera House — where we changed their dress code for the first-time ever — concert venues, and much more.

In one day, we turned 70,000+ fans into walking, talking billboards as they excitedly flooded the streets and our 22 activation sites wearing orange and blue, generating PR and buzz across the city. Not only did Mets fans experience the thrill of Amazin’ beyond the ballpark, we made wearing a Mets hat the most valuable and desirable accessory to own in the city.

Insight: As important as it is to win championships, creating winning fan experiences beyond the ballpark is key to creating and holding onto fans.

Key Message: “Wear your Mets hat. Unlock NYC.”

Target Audience: New York City and tri-state residents with a finger on the pulse of their city, constantly looking for new ways to experience the best of what NYC has to offer.

Target Publications: We targeted local broad-reach news/TV outlets and sports publications to drive hype and momentum ahead of and on Amazin’ Day. We also targeted a range of publications across verticals — culture, lifestyle, food—with stories to amplify Amazin’ Day and help broaden audiences to reach a new, more diverse set of fans and partners.

Creation and distribution of assets: Press releases were distributed to a mix of local, regional, and national media outlets, speaking to event specifics and the larger provocation of the event.

Implementation: The time between the Super Bowl (early February) and Major League Baseball’s Opening Day is traditionally a quiet moment for sports news — the perfect opportunity to seize New Yorkers’ attention with a citywide activation that anyone and everyone could participate in. While the Mets are nationally recognized, we took a grassroots approach to ensure as many local NYers capable of participating in Amazin’ Day were aware of this first-of-its-kind event.

Timeline and Scale: In the two weeks leading up to the event, we pushed out two press releases and engaged 200+ reporters to secure broadcast interviews and features to reach multiple audience segments.

On social media, the team identified and managed social posts from Mets owners, celebrity fans, and eight NYC culture/sports influencers.

Through partnerships with 15 local and iconic NYC brands and institutions, we coordinated partner communications to generate local awareness and support for the event.

Amazin’ Day made waves across the entire tri-state area (New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut), rallying an estimated 70,000 fans to flood the streets of New York City for the day.

Media Outputs

Amazin’ Day generated over 88 stories across broadcast, radio, and online media, with 95% positive sentiment, generating an estimated 318.26MM impressions.

Broadcast stories across NY’s most trusted news outlets including PIX11, NY1, and FOX5 elicited local excitement, informing residents how and where they could participate.

Mentions in culture-creating publications including Time Out, CoolStuff.NYC and QNS.com positioned Amazin’ Day as a must-see experience.

We galvanized our 5M followers across Mets social channels with organic posts. Excitement was amplified by Hank Azaria (actor), Kate Upton (model/actress), and other Mets celebrity fans who all posted organically.

Target Audience Outcomes

In the two weeks leading up to the event, the Amazin’ Day website received 215K visitors, recording over 40K registrations for Amazin’ Day events and activities.

From 89M social media impressions, Amazin’ Day generated 126K engagements in the form of comments, likes, and shares.

Brand Love expressed on social media in March increased by an unprecedented 64% from 2022 to 2023.

Business Outcomes

Amazin’ Day weekend generated the highest ticket revenue during any March weekend in over a decade.

Amazin’ Day achieved an ROI of 220% — every dollar spent generated over $2 in revenue for the Mets.