Now in the second year of its five-year partnership with Major League Baseball (MLB), Booking.com has leveraged the historic baseball rivalry to prove that travelers can be fans of any U.S. city – and even a rival’s – through the company’s hotel selections. Booking.com launched its partnership with MLB as its official lodging partner last year with a creative integrated campaign that proved that wherever there’s baseball, you can book a stay on Booking.com.
And to coincide with the 94th MLB All-Star Game kicking off on July 16, Booking.com, in collaboration with creative agency Zulu Alpha Kilo NY and agency partners Wasserman, Vayner and Mindshare, will launch a new integrated campaign that will run throughout the remainder of the 2024 baseball season.
Booking.com’s mission is to make it easier for everyone to experience the world, and in its second year of partnership with MLB, the company aims to simplify how Americans plan unique baseball-themed getaways across the US.
The new campaign is based on the insight that baseball’s friendly rivalries connect fans with regional pride and inspire travelers to explore places other than their own. The campaign aims to inspire baseball fans, from casual to dedicated, to become fans anywhere in the U.S. wherever their stay is on Booking.com, including in rival baseball cities.
Aptly titled “Friendly Rivalries,” the creative captures the moment when baseball fans fall in love with lodging in the city of their home team’s rival. It’s a targeted media campaign designed to take place wherever fans are watching the game — think New York vs. Boston, San Francisco vs. Los Angeles, St. Louis vs. Chicago — and it’s all thanks to millions of options on Booking.com.
At the launch, fans attending MLB games will see humorous 30-second and 15-second spots that show Yankees fans enjoying the perks of a waterfront hotel in Boston, Cardinals fans relaxing at a bed and breakfast in Chicago and Giants fans relaxing at a stylish hotel in Los Angeles. The campaign extends beyond the TVC to also include engaging paid social media and influencer assets and a brand engagement platform that will run throughout the season on MLB Channel.
The film was directed by WW7’s David Shafei and is narrated by renowned American sportscaster Joe Buck. Strategy and creative was developed by Zulu Alpha Kilo NY, with Mindshare managing the media strategy and planning, Wasserman managing the direct partnership with MLB and Vayner executing the targeted social campaign. The collaboration with IAT is part of a multi-faceted 360 campaign including full broadcast, social, in-stadium, OOH, brand engagement platforms and digital content play, which launched today and will continue throughout the season, promoting the friendly rivalry and culminating in the Division Series in October.
