MLB’s marketing department has had a very busy offseason. In the six months since the start of the ’17 postseason, the league has added 12 new sponsor deals, bringing the league’s total to 35 as the ’18 season gets under way. Among the new sponsors this season are Barbasol, which replaces Gillette in the shaving products category. Gillette had been the most-tenured MLB sponsor, with its partnership dating back to the ’39 season -- a time when Joe DiMaggio was AL MVP and the Cy Young Award had not even been created. MLB’s oldest league partner is now Budweiser, which signed on in ’80. Also coming into their first full seasons as MLB sponsors are Camping World, Doosan, GEICO, Hankook Tires, Kingsford, Mitel, Netspend, Snapple, Supercuts, W.B. Mason and YouTube TV. GEICO comes on to replace Esurance in the auto insurance category, while Hankook is replacing Falken in tires. One deal that was not renewed was a social platform deal with Vixlet.
| OFFICIAL MLB PARTNERS FOR THE '18 SEASON | ||
| SPONSOR (ASSETS) | CATEGORY RIGHTS |
SPONSOR
SINCE |
| Anheuser-Busch (Budweiser) | Alcoholic, non-alcoholic malt beverages |
'80
|
| PepsiCo (Gatorade) | Sports & energy drink, isotonic beverage |
'90
|
| MasterCard | Credit card, payment system |
'97
|
| Nike | Athletic footwear, athletic eyewear |
'98
|
| Bank of America | Banking services and affinity card |
'04
|
| Taco Bell | QSR, casual dining |
'04
|
| SiriusXM | Satellite radio |
'05
|
| General Motors (Chevrolet) | Foreign, domestic vehicle |
'05
|
| Scotts (Miracle, Ortho, Scotts) | Lawn care |
'10
|
| T-Mobile | Wireless service, hardware, tablets |
'13
|
| DraftKings | Daily fantasy baseball |
'13
|
| Church & Dwight (Arm & Hammer; OxiClean) |
Laundry detergent/baking soda/dish cleaner; air freshener/pet care/dental care/nasal care |
'14
|
| Amazon Web Services | Cloud storage provider |
'15
|
| The Hartford | Insurance (Business/homeowners/employee benefits) |
'15
|
| Starwood (Sheraton) | Hotels, resorts |
'15
|
| Papa John's | Pizza |
'16
|
| Evan Williams Bourbon | Dark liquor |
'16
|
| New Relic | Software analytics |
'16
|
| TuneIn | Audio streaming |
'16
|
| Old Dominion | Freight carrier |
'17
|
| Coca-Cola | Soft drink |
'17
|
| Living Essentials (5 Hour Energy) | Energy shot |
'17
|
| Nathan's Famous | Hot Dog |
'17
|
| Camping World | RV/camping, outdoor recreational toys/equipment |
'17
|
| Doosan |
Construction/mining equipment, industrial vehicles, |
'17
|
| Google (YouTube TV) | World Series presenting sponsorship |
'17
|
| Kingsford | Charcoal |
'18
|
| Mitel | Business technology/communications |
'18
|
| Netspend | Prepaid cards |
'18
|
| Dr Pepper Snapple Group (Snapple) | Tea and juice |
'18
|
| Regis Corp. (Supercuts) | Hair salon, hair stylists |
'18
|
| W.B. Mason | Office products supplier |
'17
|
| GEICO | Insurance (auto) |
'18
|
| Hankook | Tires |
'18
|
| Barbasol | Shaving products |
'18
|
