Round of Applause for the Enemy
Stretching from Northern Maine to Southern Connecticut, most of the Northeast region claims a special name for themselves- Red Sox Nation.
The Red Sox brand was built on three key factors: the team itself, Fenway Park and the tradition of baseball in New England. These factors remain true today. Even during an 86-year World Series drought, fans continued to return to Boston purely due to the atmosphere surrounding Fenway Park.
What the Red Sox have successfully done is keep the focus on the team and ballpark, rather than its individual players. The team is a representation of the city of Boston- and they represent it well. Players are constantly making connections to the city and its community members.
On March 3rd when the Sox battled Boston College in a spring training game, both lineups wore #3 jerseys in honor of Pete Frates, former BC outfielder currently battling ALS. Anyone that hasn’t jumped on the ALS #IceBucketChallenge trend also probably hasn’t heard of the Boston Red Sox, so clearly the franchise knows who their target is.
The Boston Red Sox play a philanthropic role within the community, and make an effort to respond to Boston current events. Pablo Sandoval, Red Sox third baseman, personally tweeted out to Chris Laudani, the man who shoveled the Boston Marathon Finish Line during #BOSnow Winter Storm Juno. Six feet of snow on the ground and the man is shoveling the finish line- an embodiment of #BostonStrong at its finest.
It’s pretty hard to miss the big green wall situated in left field at Fenway Park. Dubbed the Green Monster, it stands at the core of the Red Sox franchise. Tom Yawkey was insistent upon making Fenway Park the star of the brand, not the individual players on the field. Fenway Park has been the main attraction for fans (and nonfans, as you’ll read later) throughout Red Sox history, all of which is described in detail during the ballpark’s summer tour sessions. If anything is going to make a statement about the Sox brand, it’s a giant green wall located in left field.
Perhaps most important to the Red Sox brand is the focus on its fans and the tradition of baseball. The Sox are constantly giving back to those who support them. Just look at their #TheGiftOfSox vending machines. Fans can tweet or post on Instagram using the “#TheGiftOfSox” and the machine will dispense a prize from the machine. Giving back to their fans, spreading Red Sox pride, and even settling some uneasy feelings from the previous season’s record- all accomplished with a simple vending machine.
The Red Sox even gave out free tickets to Bostonians who shoveled out fire hydrants during this record setting winter. Baseball is a tradition in New England, and the Red Sox continue to pass on that tradition to new fans every day.
The Red Sox know what stands at the center of their brand, and they exhibit that across many platforms- Social media, ballpark tours, #3 jerseys, vending machines, and even blizzards. Interestingly enough, I am not a Red Sox fan. In fact, I am a pretty intense Yankees fan. But there is no doubt that the Red Sox exhibit brand content is such smart and effective ways, that their fans have no choice but to keep returning to Fenway Park each summer.
