Deal of the Century - Century 21 sponsorship contract with Major League Baseball

Brandweek, Feb 8, 1999 by Terry Lefton

Major League Baseball Brings Century 21 Home

Hoping to boost its largely undifferentiated brand by linking with the verdant fields of Major League Baseball, Century 21 has signed a two-year sponsorship pact, making it the "official real estate organization" of MLB and giving it title sponsorship of ESPN's Home Run Derby telecast prior to this year's All-Star Game in Boston.

Century 21 will activate its tights at the national and local level, with two national sweepstakes, base-ball-themed advertising breaking later this month and promo nights at half of the 30 MLB dubs during the upcoming season.

"Most of what we (real estate offices) offer looks alike, so we have to give consumers reasons to look at us first," said Steve Savino, Century 21's svp-marketing. "Consumers' interest in baseball also comes at a time (late winter/early spring) that coincides with the seasonality of our business."

Century 21's Home Run Derby entitlement comes with a large ad buy on ESPN, including spots in its MLB telecasts. It will be leveraged by a pair of sweeps, one designed to drive traffic and generate leads for Century 21 agents, the other to boost viewership of ESPN's Derby telecast the night before the All-Star Game. The Century 21 promo, which can be entered at real estate offices, offers two finalists a trip to this year's All-Star Game. Whichever player wins the Derby wins a $250,000 home for one of the sweeps winners, The other contest asks winners to tune in to the Derby to find out who hits the longest dinger and then call in the answer to an 800 number or enter via ESPN.com or MLB.com. Grand prize is a trip to the 2000 Derby and All-Star Game in Atlanta.

New Century 21 ads from Lowe & Partners/SMS, N.Y., break later this month using two MLB icons, Baltimore Oriole Cal Ripken and New York Yankees manager Joe Torre.

Per its brand name, Century 21 is hoping to use the Millennium as a marketing peg with "Turn Ahead The Clock" nights at half the 30 MLB stadia. Patterned after a '98 Seattle Mariners promo, the events will feature teams in futuristic uniforms, with PA announcers and scoreboard vignettes helping to set the atmosphere of a game played 50 years hence. Game-worn unis will be auctioned off for chari, while replicas will show up at retail. Century 21 will also give away futuristic baseball caps at those promo nights.

The real estate concern has to cut individual club sponsorships, since MLB cannot sell local rights. PSP Sports Marketing, N.Y., conceived and brokered the deal for Century 21 and is in the process of executing the local deals, with the other 15 MLB franchises likely to be involved next season.

"Top to bottom this is one of our most integrated sponsorships," said David Ball, MLB's director of corporate marketing and sales.