Did Roberto Clemente drive a Chevy? When the World Series between the Colorado Rockies and Boston Red Sox begins tonight, advertisers will have spent considerable time and money to be part of baseball’s finest week.
General Mills’ Wheaties cereal, for example, will create a 2007 World Series Champions box featuring a player from the winning team. Boxes will be on shelf within a few weeks of the World Series finish.
Sponsors like Bank of America, Holiday Inn, Pepsi, Sharp and Taco Bell are offering trips to the series as grand prizes in sweepstakes tied to the games.
And as far as the automotive industry, Chevrolet will have a substantial presence. Most important for the American manufacturer: It will be the presenting sponsor of the Roberto Clemente Award.
The honor is given to the player who epitomizes the humanitarian efforts of Major League Baseball. It will be presented on the field during pre-game activities in Game Three.
The presenting sponsorship is part of the manufacturer’s $100 million campaign geared toward the 2008 Malibu and its quest to compete with Honda and Toyota. The Malibu’s redesign was introduced in commercials during the Major League playoffs.
How Chevrolet’s commercials during the World Series will help sell the Malibu remains to be determined. But representatives from Chevrolet and its parent General Motors have said they believe the Malibu can compete the with popularity of Honda and Toyota.
But the task won’t be easy accomplished. Camry’s sales (417,104) more than tripled Malibu sales last year. The Accord, meanwhile, outsold the Malibu, 348,843 to 138,110.
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