Shrimpin’ Ain’t Easy: What we can learn from Minor League baseball branding
It’s the morning of game seven of the World Series, and two of the longest droughts in Major League baseball history are hanging in the balance. Social media across the city of Jacksonville, Florida is lit up, talking about nothing but baseball.
… and shellfish.
On the morning of the historic game that ended the Chicago Cubs 108-year drought, Jacksonville, Florida’s minor league baseball team swept in and stole the news cycle with a re-branding from the Jacksonville Suns, to the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.
Hello Jacksonville!!! pic.twitter.com/6rnpjsU1ce
— Jax Jumbo Shrimp (@JaxShrimp) November 2, 2016
There he is, in all of his muscular glory. Bustin’ out the pot, and ready to play some baseball while viciously guarding the state of Florida. The shrimp that boiled the waters (wink) in the “Bold New City of the South.”
For better or for worse, people flipped out. Whether it was praise or backlash, everyone was talking about a team that won’t have its first game for six months.
.@JaxShrimp pic.twitter.com/lRewgURvLW
— Dr. B (@BlakeTheRxGuy) November 2, 2016
Twitter went to work doing the marketing team’s job for them, even coming up with gold taglines like, “Shrimpin’ ain’t easy,” and promoting George Costanza to Assistant to the Traveling Secretary.
Fans dreamed about the delicious possibilities a Shrimp and (Montgomery) Biscuits matchup could bring and wondered if mascot dog Southpaw would have his name changed to “Grits.”
The new Assistant to the Traveling Secretary for the Jacksonville #JumboShrimp. Previous experience with NY Yankees. pic.twitter.com/6ku2Ehw3SV
— Tim Bee (@TimBeeSports) November 2, 2016
Soon this was even garnering national news thanks to the uproar, with Fox News, NPR and Deadspin all writing pun-filled articles about the change and social media frenzy surrounding it.
So what can we learn about branding initiatives from this minor league mayhem?
