San Francisco Business Times


Whole new ball game
Winning seasons, improved economy score for A's and Giants
Eric Young


Opening Day for the San Francisco Giants and Oakland A's is a month away, but the teams are already scoring with corporate sponsors.

Giants and A's executives said that several years of on-field success as well as the improving economy have combined to help boost corporate interest in striking deals with the baseball teams.

The A's said they have pulled in 15 percent more in sponsorship revenue than last year. Companies such as Pepsi, Bank of America Corp., Anheuser-Busch Co. and Cache Creek Casino Resort have renewed existing deals. Meanwhile, the team has attracted new sponsors such as Valero Energy Corp., John Muir Hospital and Caesars Tahoe.

The Giants, who earned close to $20 million in sponsorship revenue last season, said they are on pace to better that amount this year, but declined to provide an estimate. Among the Giants' returning sponsors are ATA airlines, Kelly-Moore Paint Co., Amtrak and New Era, a cap company. The team is in discussions with donut-maker Krispy Kreme, 24 Hour Fitness USA Inc. and Tully's Coffee Corp. and is bringing on new sponsor Genentech Inc., said Mario Alioto, who oversees corporate marketing for the Giants.

The Giants said that season ticket holders -- an important source of revenue for the debt-laden team -- continue to renew their seats with the team. About 95 percent of the team's 28,000 season ticket holders have renewed, said Tom McDonald, who oversees consumer marketing for the Giants.

Building a large base of season ticket holders helped the Giants get financing for its stadium, SBC Park, which opened in 2000. Now to help the team with its annual $18 million debt payment on the 41,500-seat park, the Giants try to keep season ticket holders coming back every year.

About 70 percent of the team's marketing money is directed toward season ticket holders, McDonald said. The team has an eight-person group focused exclusively on season ticket holders. "We focus to a significant degree on holding on to those fans we already have," he said.

Between season ticket holders and individual ticket sales the team said it has sold about 2.5 million tickets so far. The Giants hope to push season attendance past 3 million for the fifth consecutive year by the end of the season in September.

The A's drew 2.22 million visitors last season and have seen annual attendance increase each season since 1999. But a team official said that Major League Baseball's scheduling might work against the A's this year. The A's host the New York Yankees -- one of their most popular opponents -- three times this season instead of six like the previous year. Last year's Yankees games in Oakland drew up to 45,000 fans each, compared with the A's season average of 27,300 fans per game.

"If attendance (for the year) is flat, we'll be happy," said David Alioto, the A's vice president of sales and marketing.

The A's, who have won awards for their marketing campaigns, will unveil a new strategy this year to get the team's logo in front of more people. David Alioto said that through deals with Pepsi and other consumer products companies, the team will place its logo on items such as soda cans, peanut bags and even mustard containers inside Network Associates Coliseum and elsewhere.

"The branding is about getting the (A's) logo out there. We think the A's logo has a lot of history and value," Alioto said. The push, he said, is designed to further increase recognition of the team as an entertainment option in the Bay Area. A's players such as third baseman Eric Chavez and heralded pitchers Barry Zito, Mark Mulder and Tim Hudson will also be highlighted in the team's marketing.

The Giants, meanwhile, will shoot several TV ads during games at SBC Park that emphasize the experience there.

Eric Young covers sports for the San Francisco Business Times.

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Super Bowl's Over. It's Time To Play Ball And Bring The Expos Home.

I used to think it was more likely that we would get the A's to move here than it was the Expos. But the more I hear, the less I believe that to be the case. A's ownership has talked about new stadiums and relocating - but never out of the bay area. They draw well and have good sponsorship. Just how would we attract this team? On a side note, the Giant's strategy of focusing on season ticket holders as a key source of revenue is a lesson anyone trying to bring baseball to portland should study - not to mention the folks over at the Rose Garden.