4/4/2008 10:13:00 AM Bermuda teams up with NY Mets to target 'bread and butter market'
Aggressive marketing strategy: Fans heading to Shea Stadium to see the likes of Johan Santana, pictured, will now be bombarded with Bermuda advertising. They also have a chance of winning a trip for two to the island. *MCT photo
New York Mets fans are being encouraged to "feel the love" that Bermuda has to offer.
Premier Dr. Ewart Brown has announced a partnership between the Bermuda Department of Tourism and the New York Mets - making Bermuda the official destination of the baseball team this season.
Every home game at Shea Stadium will see a "Feel the Love Grand Slam Inning" announced to the crowd and "Feel the Love" branding posted on the big scoreboard. Then if any Mets player hits a grand slam during that inning, a fan in the stands will win a trip for two in Bermuda.
Mets fans will also be bombarded with Bermuda Tourism messaging - rotating television spots near the concession stands, concourse signage throughout the stadium and advertising spreads in the Mets Yearbook and Mets Magazine.
New York Mets director of corporate sales, Greg Stangel, and Brett Ehrlich, National Sales Manager for Sports Net New York accompanied Dr. Brown at a press conference yesterday.
He said: "This partnership with the New York Mets puts us in a very strong marketing position, in a market that Bermuda Tourism cherishes the most - New York City. More visitors come to Bermuda from New York than any place else in the world."
Attendance at Shea Stadium has been climbing steadily each year since 2003 and this season attendance is expected to reach four million people for the first time. Games are also broadcast on SNY, bringing in 350,000 to 450,000 viewers, who will see 30-second Bermuda commercials.
Dr. Brown added: "Critics who worry Bermuda Tourism is not fishing where the fish are should have their concerns allayed today once and for all. We are bringing an aggressive marketing strategy into the heart of our bread and butter market."
