Loading ...God Wants Me to Purchase Baseball Tickets? Really?
I saw this billboard driving over the Des Plaines River in Joliet last week.
Apparently, God is worried about Joliet’s independent baseball club, the Jackhammers. Since its inaugural season in 2002, the team has been a loser with declining season ticket sales. One could presume that with God’s help, the Jackhammers will do better. In 2008, the team finished in last place with the worst record in club history (32-63). Only one way to go, as they say.
Maybe a celebrity endorsement will put people in box seats next season.
Invoking the Almighty’s endorsement is a tricky proposition though. It implies resurrection. It sets Biblical expectations for a team that hasn’t finished above .500 in six seasons.
And that is why this billboard is bad marketing.
Religion aside—and maybe the Jackhammers front office is hoping for some good, old-fashioned Bible Thumping controversy with their billboard—why on Earth would you pull such a stunt? My initial reaction was negative even before I picked up my copy of the Baltimore Catechism.
A non-affiliated baseball club thinks so much of itself that they fake an endorsement from God? C’mon. It makes your brand look cheap at best; intolerant at worst.
Stick to family-friendly Inflatable Sumo Wrestlers, guys. It’s the most genuine thing you have when your team under-performs.
Update
The Chicago Tribune writes about this billboard here.
Bob Okon reports the story for the Joliet Herald News here.
The Jackhammers have now placed a poll on their website. Looks like there publicity stunt is moving in a direction they want. Now the question is whether or not that will turn the interest into ticket sales.
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