They've turned it up to (7) Eleven
The other day, we were reading about how the Boston Red Sox were considering selling sponsorship for the 2007 season. Not for space on the Green Monster. They were selling the naming rights to the season.
Ingenious? Or just plain ignorant?
Before you hear the public address announcer at Fenway say, "Let's welcome your 2007 Red Sox, presented by Church's Fried Chicken," consider that the other Sox, the White ones, may have already one upped them.
Or, 7-Eleven upped them.
White Sox's weeknight home games will now start at 7:11 p.m. as part of a three-year sponsorship deal with the never-closed convenience store chain.
That actually makes some sense, in a minor-league promotion sort of way. Games at U.S. Cellular Field (or is it the new Comiskey Park?) already started at 7:07 p.m. anyway.
"We're just talking about four minutes, so it's not much of an inconvenience for the fans," said a team spokesman.
Get it? Inconvenience, from a convenience store promotion?
"Every time the media announces the game's start time it will be a gentle reminder of our sponsorship," store spokesperson Margaret Chabris said.
Well, there you go. From now on, we'll subtly forget to announce the start times for White Sox home games in our paper.
(And why is the store called 7-Eleven? Some say that once upon a time, it was open seven days a week, but closed at 11 p.m. Others say the hours were between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. Now it's 24/7. Makes you wonder why they even put locks on the door).
A 7-Eleven promotion sounds like big gulp for some to take, but imagine stretching the promotion even more. There can be a kids growth chart giveaway day -- just like that tape they put on the doorway at the 7-Eleven to show the height of a robber as he's leaving the store.
How about if the team scores, say, 1 run in the game, a free Slurpee for everyone.
Maybe Apu can throw out the first pitch some night.
But doesn't this open the door for other subtle changes?
You've already seen them around major league ballparks. The K-meter that shows how many strike outs a pitcher has registered at Dodger Stadium is sponsored by California Pizza Kitchen -- otherwise known as CPK. It might as well be sponsored by Circle K. Or would 7-Eleven protest?
We'd always hoped that when Fox owned the Dodgers, the team would go out and get second baseman Andy Fox and give him No. 11, so that it would say "Fox 11" on his back -- promoting the local Fox affiliate in L.A.
Got any suggestions? Bring 'em on.
There's some marketing guy trying to save his job just dying to hear 'em.