Thanks to “Field of Dreams” (which turned 30 this year), it’s easy to designate Iowa as a baseball-loving state. The Midwest destination also happens to be quite fond of Busch Light, which, interestingly, is also 30 this year. The Anheuser-Busch product and America’s pastime, through its softball variation, are converging this summer, as two teams from the Hawkeye State claimed $5,000 sponsorships from the beverage bigwig, with branded Busch jerseys and hats among their spoils.
The teams won the sponsorship thanks to video submissions, and Whiskey Riff reported that $10,000 would go to a league winner.
We want to sponsor your softball team! You could win a $5k signing bonus, $10k if you win your league, custom jerseys, a local ad campaign & BUSCH FOR THE SEASON. Reply with your team name & why we should sponsor you. Include #SponsoredByBusch AND #Contest https://t.co/gMXrSJbckv pic.twitter.com/UHAd9Ocb6W
— Busch Beer (@BuschBeer) March 25, 2019
The Des Moines Register reported the feats of a club dubbed The Other Place that became Team Stew for its submitted video. Thanks to the squad’s 10-2 record, Busch endowed its roster members with the $10,000 sponsorship, along with the branded unis to promote their tie with the company.
Sometimes a little @BuschBeer is all you need to get ready for the championship game.
We're Team Stew from Des Moines, Iowa, and we're ready to bring our love for softball, videos and Busch Light to the Busch Beer team this summer.#SponsoredByBusch #Contest pic.twitter.com/GZ2SVYdOAW
— Chris Snider (@ChrisSnider) April 6, 2019
While the season’s supply of Busch Light for The Other Place and the other victor, Beaverdale Elite; and the billboards that will acknowledge their winning entries will prove great for increasing brand awareness, the branded apparel connection is really what makes this stand out as a successful promotion. As the Beaverdale Elite players continue to smack fastballs and make stellar defensive plays, they can do so not only with the thought of indulging in cold ones after each game, but also with the assurance that they are receiving support in their endeavors from the Busch Light crew. Yes, the beverage already enjoys great standing in the state, but what company wouldn’t want even more exposure and favor? And, from the teams’ point of view, they were rewarded for making humorous videos that Busch Light had deemed creative and appreciate of its product.
From an entrepreneurial perspective, Busch picked a perfect time of year to reward that brand allegiance and gave the players a stylish way play ball. (Or to conceal, or display, depending on their preferences, the beer guts that the players will have come the end of their runs together.)
The moral of all of this is that we need to establish a Promo Marketing softball team to contend for similar swag next season, if Busch Light intends to replicate this campaign. We are certain we could don those uniforms in style, too.
