In New York, Yankee Stadium in the Bronx is merely 10 miles from the Mets’ Citi Field in Queens. In contrast, the Atlanta Braves stand alone as the only Major League Baseball team for hundreds of miles in the Southeast, leaving their marketers with the significant challenge of cultivating a fanbase that stretches across six states.
This expansive region, referred to as “Braves Country,” saw its first major marketing initiative in 2024 with the launch of the “We Are Braves Country” campaign. This year, coinciding with the team’s home opener on Friday, the Braves are refreshing their annual marketing strategy.
The campaign features traditional advertising, along with a variety of events and initiatives aimed at expanding the Braves’ audience while continuing to engage longtime supporters. This effort is similar to what numerous MLB teams and the league at large have pursued recently, but for the Braves, the outreach extends over a larger geographic area than most.
To enhance the fanbase while staying connected to its Southern heritage, SVP of Marketing Adam Zimmerman stated that they are combining traditional media approaches like radio advertising and player-focused ads with modern strategies, including entertainment partnerships and collaborations with influencers.
Southern Values
The current “We Are Braves Country” campaign features a roughly 90-second promotional video showcasing various team players, such as Ronald Acuña Jr. and Matt Olson. Zimmerman indicated that the content will adapt slightly depending on the market, although the central message promoting Southern values remains consistent.
The campaign, which will run through the season, also incorporates out-of-home advertising, radio spots, and social media promotions, in addition to features on their new regional sports network, BravesVision. To measure the campaign’s success, Zimmerman mentioned that they will track year-over-year growth in metrics like ratings, ticket sales, and merchandise sales at a zip code level.
Community Engagement
With the launch of BravesVision, which debuted earlier this year, the Braves are prioritizing fan engagement both online and offline. The team continues its Braves Country Road Trip this year, bringing experiences, merchandise, and memorabilia, such as World Series trophies, to various locations throughout the Southeast. They are also organizing a country music festival in June at Truist Park featuring local artists like Cody Johnson and Ella Langley.
As they evolve into a lifestyle brand, Zimmerman stated that the Braves are keen to emphasize Southern pride and leverage interests such as food, fashion, and college sports. The team is considering launching fan clubs in different regions to further ignite enthusiasm among Braves fans beyond Atlanta.
Additionally, social media serves as a vital channel for connecting with fans across state borders. Zimmerman’s team is enhancing collaboration with influencers and expanding their presence on platforms like Reddit to engage with their fanbase. “We’re consistently asking ourselves how to embrace values that unite Southerners, all while adapting to a diverse and tech-savvy region,” he concluded.
