Situation: Baseball has always been America’s pastime. A sport synonymous with the past, with tradition, with nostalgia. So how do you make a sport with such deep history relevant on the national stage for many meeting it for the first time today?

Brief: How do we make baseball – and its players – feel accessible and relevant to new audiences?

Approach: Lean into the truth of baseball, what makes it unique, and why people love it. This game isn’t like others, and that’s actually its superpower. The pace allows for fan culture to thrive – at home and in the stands. The drama hangs on every pitch and inning. Every game, ballpark, and fan experience is one of a kind. So let’s embrace what makes us different, instead of shying away from it.

Baseball is a one-of-a-kind sport. It’s played on a field with grass and dirt. Its rules can be complicated. The players wear pants in summer. Rain delays, hotdogs, ridiculous mascots. We realized that all these quirks are the very things that make baseball so special. So, instead of making anything up, we decided to show baseball exactly as it is. To kick off the campaign, we identified the strangest aspects of the game—the hotdogs, the crazy coincidence of statistics, Opening Day—and found the most compelling way to show those elements off.

Baseball is unique. And instead of trying to be everything to everyone, we highlighted the elements of the sport that set it apart and make it special. Our work was built around the things most likely to appeal to key growth segments for the brand.

For those into the ballpark experience, we featured the one-of-a-kind food you’ll only find here (Hot Dogs). For those into insane athleticism and era-defining performances, we told the story of Aaron Judge’s historic home run record (62).

By getting specific on the things that make baseball, baseball, we’re able to use our campaign to build more intimate and personal connections between our key audiences and the sport.

Our campaign is about modernizing nostalgia, juxtaposing the old with the new in interesting ways. William Tell’s “Overture” has been a long-time staple in the world of sports; internet-sensation Cameron Jay’s unique rendition put the perfect modern spin on the historical piece to make it feel current. CJ’s creative interpretation using his voice as an instrument created an additional element of “something else-ness” that brings you into the “Baseball is Something Else” universe.

The launch efforts around Opening Day provided a strong springboard toward driving long-term consideration among fans. On Opening Day, consideration to attend a game was up 7% over the previous year, while average viewership across national broadcasts increased by double-digit percentages. The campaign contributed to the most social Opening Day ever with measurable Social mentions of MLB rising 160% and generating a 10-point increase in positive sentiment. Opening Day was also the most trafficked day to MLB's website, rising 56% over the previous year. Digital viewership across MLB-owned apps also increased 42% over the previous year, and MLB saw the largest online merchandise sales day in history.