 Ronn Torossian |
Sports fans who enjoy baseball are likely to have followed the World Series matchup between the Houston Astros and the Washington Nationals. The Nationals, a younger team in the MLB formerly known as the Montreal Expos, contested their first fall classic this year much to the delight of Washington, D.C.’s political elite. Statistics show that the World Series viewership has seen a drop-off in recent years. And while this year’s edition was no different—current viewership trends are indicating another drop—what’s catching the attention of some different advertisers is the local audience.
As the 2020 election approaches at breakneck speed, advertising will likely see a turn toward more political-centric messages, and the World Series has now turned into a testing ground for many of these messages. According to data from Axios, advocacy and social responsibility messaging has been more prominent during this World Series than the traditional advertising fodder of cold beer and GoDaddy. Remember, this is the first time that the Washington team has found itself on such a prominent stage. For this reason, advertisers have jumped at the opportunity to reach Capitol Hill leaders with messages that carry urgency surrounding issues that affect the country.
In addition, the World Series has attracted advertisements from a higher number of technology and healthcare ads. Many of these ads also center around some sort of social cause or purpose, with the intent to align the brand with the right message and win over the interest of the public as well as lawmakers who may be tuned in to the game.
What does this mean for the advertising industry? For one, it’s further proof that advertising alignment with social causes and/or politics is becoming a more common practice. As consumers seek out genuine connections with brands while also displaying high levels of mistrust, these brands are countering by involving themselves in social conversation around prominent issues.
Businesses can do more harm than good if the execution of a social advocacy campaign is done incorrectly. Simply jumping on the bandwagon to support a cause for a PR boost won’t do as much for a business as throwing weight behind that support and sticking around for the long haul.
It’s that time in the election cycle in which we’ll begin to see an uptick in the amount of messaging intended to sway our votes come November. The messaging put forth by brands such as 3M, Google and Facebook are just a few examples of what we’re sure to see much more of in the coming months.
The concept of reining in big tech, protecting consumer data and preserving our health as a society will continue to be hot topics of discussion both inside and out of the political arena. The advertisements presented during this year’s World Series may appear to be out of the ordinary, but some may be surprised at just how easily this new idea of messaging has become the norm among advertisers beyond baseball.
***
Ronn Torossian is CEO of 5WPR, a NY PR firm.
A huge PR opportunity looms for a firm that is willing to take some heat by promoting Immigration & Customs Enforcement... Disgraced New York mayor Eric Adams couldn't wait to make another pilgrimage to Israel to stick it to his successor Zohran Mamdani... Hats off to Berkshire Hathaway’s Warren Buffett for writing his always engaging and witty annual reports over the years.
The ADL plans a Mamdani Monitor to track down any whiff of antisemitism from the policies and appointments made by his administration. It should have given him a chance to live up to Election Night promise... Brendan Carr, Alden Global Capital, Alphabet, Meta and Elon Musk make Reporters Without Borders' roster of Press Freedom Predators.
Andrew Cuomo's political career is not dead yet... Steve Bannon says Republicans should learn from Zohran Mamdani and his Working Families Party and Democratic Socialists of America, instead of mocking them... Internet advertising model is on the way out, says Tim Berners-Lee... Gannet rebrands as USA Today Inc. What about its other 200 papers?
Thomas Jefferson warned about the dangers of an imperial president who would deny an election loss in a bid to cling to power. Sound familiar?... Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says reporters don't need his permisson to take a photo of the Pentagon's 9/11 memorial, as long as they are not on the job... Kirkland and Ellison lawyers need some negotiating tips. 
Shareholder activitism is poised to hit an all-time high for 2025... Kamala Harris’ “107 Days” reads like an autospsy of her failed presidential run. Democrats need to look forward, not backward... The Reagan Foundation dishonored The Gipper by providing PR cover to tariff-loving Trump.
