MLB steps up to the plate to embrace China's new generation

Fusion reaction triggered by multiple trendy elements

Baseball is currently not as popular as basketball or soccer among the Chinese population, but MLB hats – particularly those of the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers -- are essentially must-haves for the nation's young people, frequently appearing in popular "street dance" and "hip-hop" variety shows.

"MLB Perfect Pitch 2019" targets the integration of baseball with trendy elements such as hip-hop, music, and fashion, producing amazing reactions. In just two days after the launch of the event, the total VV under this topic on Douyin exceeded 13 million, and the total PV of the Weibotopic broke 2 million, with follow-up by dance KOLs from millions of fans.

When baseball, dance, fashion, music and entertainment converge on the most popular short video platform in China, coupled with the traffic and influence of entertainment stars, the game is no longer a consumer product for baseball fans only. Instead, it becomes a pan-entertainment and pan-sports consumer product that combines sports fashion and entertainment elements that successfully penetrate the burgeoning Chinese fan base.

Through this crossover interaction between baseball and hip-hop, MLB is combining sports with entertainment and building a huge pool of young users.

While continuously broadening the cultural boundaries of baseball, MLB is establishing a crossover marketing platform that solidly connects its brand with the post-90s generation and millennials in keeping with the spirit of the times.