Hooked on homers
Ads from MasterCard, others linked to home run chase
Posted: Friday September 04, 1998 06:44 PM
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No choice for new generation: McGwire was omitted from the Pepsi ad because the soft drink company had been unable to get his permission AP |
NEW YORK (AP) -- MasterCard International is rushing a commercial to
network television on Saturday featuring Mark McGwire
and Sammy Sosa
as they approach Roger Maris' home run record.
The credit card provider is the latest sponsor to make the home run
chase a hook for its advertising. Pepsi-Cola and Anheuser-Busch launched
ads alluding to the race last weekend.
The 30-second MasterCard commercial, which uses TV clips of McGwire
and Sosa hitting home runs in games earlier this season, is believed to be
the first to feature both players together.
The home run chase has caught the nation's attention. Newspapers have
been prominently displaying the latest home run counts in comparison to
where Maris was in his historic season. Fox and ESPN shuffled their
schedules to add games involving the Cardinals or Cubs.
Advertisers are delighted with the chance to promote themselves to
bigger and more attentive audiences.
Pepsi-Cola Co., the nation's second-biggest soft drink maker, got a
head start last weekend when it launched its "Pepsi Home Run Countdown"
sweepstakes with a commercial that featured home runs by Sosa, Seattle's Ken Griffey
Jr. and others -- but not McGwire.
McGwire was omitted from the Pepsi ad because the soft drink company
had been unable to get his permission.
"We have a version with McGwire in it but we need his approval. It's
just a matter of getting the spot in front of him or his people," said
Pepsi spokesman Jon Harris.
Anheuser-Busch Inc. featured a clip of McGwire taking a big swing in
another ad that made its debut last weekend. The world's biggest brewer
showed its Bud One Airship being pelted by a McGwire home run ball as the
blimp passed over the stadium. McGwire plays for the St. Louis Cardinals,
a team once owned by St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch.
Larry Flanagan, vice president of advertising for MasterCard, said
getting approval from both players was no problem for his company.
The commercial was a seamless fit into MasterCard's "Priceless"
campaign that started running last fall.
It opens with a shot of a baseball in a pitcher's hand as the
announcer says "One major league baseball ... nine dollars."
Next are a series of shots of McGwire and Sosa alternately hitting
home runs in rapid succession. "New ball ... nine dollars," the announcer
says as each ball falls into the stands.
Sosa hits one out of his home park, the Chicago Cubs' Wrigley
Field, and the announcer says "One windshield ... one hundred dollars." The
players are each shown acknowledging fan ovations.
The commercial's punch line: "Sixty-two ... Priceless. There are some
things money can't buy; for everything else there's MasterCard."
The ad makes its debut on Fox's baseball coverage Saturday and
Flanagan expects the ad will run through the end of the season.
"Whether they break the record or not, it is a relevant message," he said.
"The best scenario is if they both break it."
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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