Let's Celebrate Baseball Today!

"There are no tears in baseball." If you recognize that famous line, then you know it's from the 1992 movie "A League of Their Own" starring Geena Davis, Rosie O'Donnell, Madonna, and Tom Hanks about the all-women baseball league during World War II. However, TODAY, there are cheers and tears in baseball because it's the annual induction ceremony at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. You can watch the festivities in person (at Clark Sports Center on lower Susquehanna Avenue in Cooperstown) or live on the MLB Network or streaming on the Hall of Fame's Facebook page.

This year, in addition to the annual induction ceremony, the Baseball Hall of Fame is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the day that Chicago Cubs outfielder Rick Monday saved an American flag at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

According to the Hall of Fame, "Fifty years later, fans are still marveling at Rick Monday's great grab at Dodger Stadium. This summer in Cooperstown, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum will pay tribute at the annual Awards Presentation in Cooperstown. 

On April 25, 1976, in Los Angeles, Monday was playing center field for the Chicago Cubs in a game against the Dodgers. During the fourth inning, two fans entered the field, spread the flag on the left-center field grass and doused it with lighter fluid. Monday, a veteran of the Marine Corps reserves who was in his 11th big league season, dashed over from his post, grabbed the flag with his right hand and sprinted away before handing it to Dodgers pitcher Doug Rau. The Sunday afternoon crowd of 25,167 fans responded with a standing ovation, and when Monday came to bat an inning later, the Dodger Stadium message board said: "Rick Monday…You made a great play." 

As part of the Museum's celebration of America's 250th birthday, the flag Monday rescued and preserved will be loaned to the Museum for the summer."

And did you know there's a woman in the Baseball Hall of Fame? On February 27, 2006, Effa Manley became the first (and only) woman elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Manley, who died in 1981, was co-owner of the Newark (New Jersey) Eagles, a Negro League powerhouse, and a huge advocate for Black ballplayers and civil rights causes. Chicago Defender reporter Fay Young wrote in December 1943, "Mrs. Manley knows a few things about baseball, and most of the men club owners could take a few tips from her. She's a good businesswoman."

Kaia Alderson, a historical women's fiction author, has a passion for discovering "hidden figures" in African-American women's history. As a result, she wrote the historical novel "In a League of Her Own" about Effa Manley. A brief synopsis about the book follows, but first, a little more about Alderson. According to her website bio, "Alderson gravitates toward the stories of women who defied social, racial, and gender norms by refusing to stay in their "place" during a time when doing so could get them socially ostracized and/or killed. She believes these women's stories mirror the experiences of present-day Black women and provide successful examples and strategies for combating roadblocks that still persist in women's social lives and in the workplace."

Harper Collins, the book's publisher, described the book as follows, "An ambitious Harlem woman's husband upends her social climbing when he buys a Negro Leagues baseball team and appoints her as the team's business manager. Overnight, Effa Manley goes from 125th Street's civil rights champion to an interloper in the boys' club that is professional baseball. Navigating her way through gentlemen's agreement contracts, the very public flirtatious antics of superstar Satchel Paige, and a sports world that would much rather see this woman back in her "place" at home, Effa ultimately whips her team, the Newark Eagles, into the Negro Leagues Champions of 1946. But how long will she get to enjoy the fruits of her success before Major League Baseball tears it all apart? Based on the incredible life of Effa Manley, an unforgettable and inspiring story about a woman with a dream who wound up with a baseball team."

And, of course, it's always fun when brands tweak their product packaging or presentation for special events. Applause to Orly for its surprising and memorable "baseball" advertising.

So, while baseball games take place in cities across the country today, America's pastime is a little more special today because of the celebrations and history (plus cheers and tears) taking place in Cooperstown.

SHARE THIS: Brands that align their products with trending news have the potential to be memorable. ~@DebbieLaskeyMBA #BaseballHallofFameDay #DebbieLaskeysBlog

Image Credit: Orly International, Inc.

Read about Effa Manley's induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame:

https://baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/manley-effa

Read Kaia Alderson's work of historical fiction:

https://www.kaiaalderson.com/general-1

Check out my review of "Calico Joe" by John Grisham from October 2012:

https://www.debbielaskeysblog.com/2012/10/what-john-grisham-and-baseball-teach-us.html

And if you're a baseball fan, you've probably already seen these movies, but if not, enjoy!

"The Natural" (1984)

"Eight Men Out" (1988)

"Major League" (1989)

"Field of Dreams" (1989)

"A League of Their Own" (1992)

"Moneyball" (2011)

"42" (2013)

Fun Marketing Stories Surrounding the 2025 World Series

While you’ve heard lots of stories about the superstars of this year’s World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays, have you also heard about the fun wagers?

As a Los Angeles native, I’ve heard about them and would like to share, especially since all have a marketing impact on tourism, commerce, personal branding, brand identity, brand advocacy - or a combination of some or all.

First, here's a fun fact: 2025 was the first year in Major League Baseball history that the season started and ended outside of the United States. The Los Angeles Dodgers began the season in Tokyo, Japan with two games against the Chicago Cubs, and the Dodgers also ended the season with two games in Toronto, Canada against the Blue Jays.

And now on to some friendly wagers regarding the World Series:

MAYORS

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow wagered that the losing city's major would have to bike a distance equal to the number of winning runs in the final game while wearing the winning team's jersey. (The winning number of runs turned out to be 5.)

GOVERNORS

California Governor Gavin Newsom and Ontario Premier Doug Ford placed a friendly wager. The loser must send the winner a basket of local goods.

On a related note, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said that US President Donald Trump avoided his calls ending a potential bet on the World Series.

POLICE CHIEFS

Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell and Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw bet that the losing chief must post a photo wearing the opposing team's jersey.

ZOOS

The Los Angeles Zoo and the Toronto Zoo made a friendly wager on the World Series. If a Dodgers victory, the Toronto Zoo would replace its logo with a California condor for 24 hours, and if a Blue Jays victory, the LA Zoo would replace its logo with a blue jay for 24 hours.

MEDIA

Toronto's CityNews 247 and Los Angeles' KTLA5 announced a friendly wager where the losing news team would have to wear the winning team's gear on social media.

PUBLIC LIBRARIES

The Los Angeles Public Library and the Toronto Public Library did not make a wager on the World Series outcome, but instead, shared memorable daily social media posts. I followed the posts on Twitter/X and was very impressed. Each LA Public Library post featured an LA Dodgers cap atop books that related to each game's outcome - and most included a library card.

The Toronto Public Library posted after the second game in Toronto, "Flying south for the win(ter)" and included a stack of books with these titles: My Home Team, Baseball Beyond Our Borders, Boldly Go, and Los Angeles Today.

During the epic 18-inning win by the Dodgers, the LA Public Library's chosen books included: Fight Back, Wake Up Calls, Resilience, and more. And then, at the conclusion of that game, the LA Public Library's chosen books included: A Game of Their Own, A Familiar Sight, Thrill City, and The Dodgers.

Upon returning to Toronto for Game 6, the Toronto Public Library shared a Blue Jays jersey with the books: The Best Team Money Can Buy, Bring Yourself, Any Night of the Week, and It Will End with Us. I especially liked the post's excellent hashtag #BookSpinePoetry.

After the 7th and final World Series Game, the Toronto Public Library shared a Blue Jays helmet atop the books: The Final Curtain, Victorious in Defeat, LA Story, I Curse You With Joy, and This Time Next Year, We'll Be Laughing. The LA Public Library shared a Dodgers cap atop these books: A Night to Die For, Miracle Men (Hershiser, Gibson, and the Improbable 1988 Dodgers), City of Dreams, Hope and Glory, and A Dream Season. 

As an avid reader, the creativity for these posts was inspiring - and I'm thrilled that these institutions joined the international conversation about the World Series and promoted reading! And of course, there was that excellent hashtag #BookSpinePoetry!

FOOD NEWS

Pink's Hot Dogs: Pink's (normally featuring its classic pink banner) on Fairfax in Los Angeles updated its banner to read "PINK'S IS NOW DODGER BLUE." Pink's also featured the "Blue's Dog with bacon, chili, and cheese for $8.22 with proceeds going toward the LA Dodgers Foundation.

Colorado Dounts: This Eagle Rock location featured limited-time Dodgers doughnuts coated in bright blue glaze with "LA" in white icing. These sweet treats were available daily through the World Series.

Randy's Donuts: The legendary doughnut shop celebrated the Playoffs and World Series with Bavarian cream doughnuts topped in Dodger-blue glaze and toped with the iconic "LA" logo. The doughnuts were available at all LA-area locations.

Panda Express: A number of posts appeared on Instagram featuring mascot Pei Pei at Dodger Stadium. While Panda Express does not sell food at Dodger Stadium, it has a deal with the Dodgers that after every home game win, participating locations offer specially-priced Panda Plates.

OTHER INTERESTING WORLD SERIES NEWS:

Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy passed Babe Ruth on baseball's all-time postseason home run list!

Dodgers outfielder Justin Dean used an "Autism Speaks" Wilson glove to promote autism awareness on baseball's biggest stage!

Dodgers relief pitchers wore number "51" on their caps in support of fellow team member, reliever Alex Vesia, who was not on the Dodgers 26-man roster for the World Series. The Dodgers had announced that Vesia was away from the team to attend to a "deeply personal family matter." For Games 6 and 7, the Blue Jays relief pitchers on the Blue Jays also wore the number "51" on their caps.

Dodgers infielder/outfielder Kiki Hernandez saw the gesture and said, "For those guys to do that, it's incredible. They're trying to win a World Series, but they understand that life is bigger than baseball, and baseball's just a game. For them to do that with the stakes - where we were at with the stakes, hats off to them. And I want them to know that we appreciate them."

Since the Montreal Expos left Montreal and moved south from Canada to Washington, DC to become the Washington Nationals in 2005, the Toronto Blue Jays have been the sole Major League Baseball team in the entire country of Canada. According to MLB, "Canada’s northernmost city is closer to Greenland, nearer to the North Pole, than it is to Toronto. Although the residents of Iqaluit have spotty cell service, a climate that’s more fit for polar bears and almost total darkness for much of the winter -- they do, during these late, exceedingly exciting October nights, have their pennant-winning Blue Jays. And during the team’s greatest playoff run in 32 years, they mostly gather to watch in the warmth of The Storehouse Bar and Grill - one of the few watering holes in the zero-stoplight town. In fact, more than two percent of the city’s population can be found there. For the majority of the year, Iqaluit – the capital and only city in Canada’s Nunavut Territory – is a place where indigenous communities in the north come to visit. Most signage, including city stop signs, is in English, French and the native Inuktitut. Customers take their snowmobiles and ATVs over to root on the team that's playing more than 1,400 miles away. Or they just walk - Iqaluit is just about an hour across on foot. And, don't worry, pedestrians don't have to worry too much about running into a polar bear - the apex predators usually don't wander into the city and roam a bit more up in the wilderness with the rest of the larger land mammals."

According to Valerie Hill, general manager of The Storehouse Bar and Grill, "It feels like we're on the moon. Our bar holds 215 people, and for the playoffs our crowds varied from 120-180 people for the games. It’s a huge number when you consider our community’s population is only around 8,000 people.”

Lastly, after the epic 18-inning game at Dodger Stadium, a fan-based group, Dodgers Nation, shared the following "Permission Slip" on Twitter/X.

Did you "CATCH" any other exciting news to add to this list? Chime in and share.

In the meantime, it's less than 100 days until the 2026 Winter Olympics begin in Italy (and my #WinterOlympicsLeadershipSeries2026 appears here on my Blog) - and more importantly for baseball fans, it's 141 days until Opening Day on March 25th (March 26th for the Dodgers). Until then, congratulations on back-to-back World Series Championships to the LA Dodgers!

Image Credits: Toronto Zoo and Los Angeles Dodgers - and Dodgers Nation for the Permission Slip.

Read "Fun Marketing Stories Surrounding the 2024 World Series" (October 2024):

https://www.debbielaskeysblog.com/2024/10/fun-marketing-stories-surrounding-2024.html

Read "Everything Is Marketing - Especially During the World Series!" (October 2018):

https://www.debbielaskeysblog.com/2018/10/everything-is-marketing-especially.html

Read a similar post, "Super Bowl LIX Is Hours Away" (February 2025) - includes friendly bets:

https://www.debbielaskeysblog.com/2025/02/super-bowl-lix-is-hours-away.html

Read a similar post, "A Recap of the Ads from Super Bowl 57" (February 2023) - includes friendly bets:

https://www.debbielaskeysblog.com/2023/02/a-recap-of-ads-from-super-bowl-57.html

Read a similar post, "Fun Stories Surrounding Super Bowl 56" (February 2022):

https://www.debbielaskeysblog.com/2022/02/fun-stories-surrounding-super-bowl-56.html

Fun Marketing Stories Surrounding the 2024 World Series

While you’ve likely heard lots of stories about the superstars of this year’s World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees – plus the fact that these two teams have met 11 previous times in the fall classic – have you also heard about the fun wagers?

As a Los Angeles native, I’ve heard about them and would like to share, especially since all have a marketing impact on tourism, commerce, personal branding, or brand identity (or a combination).

MAYORS

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in a challenge, “My good friend, Mayor Bass, I am challenging you. If we win, you have to wear the New York Yankees jersey around City Hall in Los Angeles. If we lose, which we won't, I will wear the Dodgers jersey around City Hall here in New York. Looking forward to this great rivalry for many years, and I am waiting to see you wear New York Yankees pinstripes in City Hall in Los Angeles.”

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass responded, “Alright Mayor Adams, you're on. I can't wait to see you wear the Dodgers jersey in City Hall and all around New York City. Go Dodgers!”

GOVERNORS

New York Governor Kathy Hochul said in a challenge, “Here's my wager to you, Governor. If it turns out that I win, and I will, I'll be requiring that you display in your office some Yankees memorabilia. If the opposite occurs, we'll talk about that then, but I would have to do the same for you. So that's my wager to you, Governor Newsom, you'll have to show some of our great Yankees swag, our memorabilia, right in your office and show a lot of visitors once we win this series, so let's play ball.”

California Governor Gavin Newsom responded, “Hochul, game on. When the Dodgers take home the trophy, I expect to see Dodger blue not in the corner, but proudly displayed all over your office. Look, I recognize for the first time in 40 years, we've got the Dodgers and the Yankees squaring off in the World Series. Mad respect. And mad respect for the Yankees proud past, your history. But as we say in California, we're in the future business. California knows not only how to win championships, but to mint them."

SHERIFFS

Errol D. Toulon, Jr., New York’s Suffolk County Sheriff, challenged Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna to a bet: the Sheriff from the losing team’s city should wear the other team’s hat. Toulon is a former bad boy for the Yankees and said on Instagram, “When we beat the Dodgers, I would expect Sheriff Luna to wear a Yankee hat for the entire day. And if for some reason the Dodgers should win, I will wear a Dodgers hat for a day." Sheriff Luna responded by accepting the challenge.

ARCHBISHOP OF LOS ANGELES AND NEW YORK CARDINAL

Los Angeles Archbishop José H. Gomez and New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan announced a friendly wager: If the Dodgers win the World Series, Cardinal Dolan must send Archbishop Gomez a box of New York-style bagels. If the Yankees win, Archbishop Gomez must send Cardinal Dolan a box of Randy’s Donuts.

According to OSV News, in addition, “Both prelates will be directing their respective followers to take part in the rivalry by making donations to baseballunites.com, a site that will direct funds to both the New York-based John Cardinal O’Connor School and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles’ Catholic Education Foundation. Whichever team wins the World Series will earn their region’s educational institution 60 percent of what’s raised; the losing region will get 40 percent.”

According to Archbishop Gomez. “Baseball truly unites us as a country, but in every contest there has to be a winner, and that will be the Dodgers! I know my friend Cardinal Dolan is a good sport, and I’m going to enjoy the New York bagels that he will be sending me. I’m also grateful for this chance to highlight the great work of our Catholic schools in LA and New York and across the country. Go Blue!”

According to Carinal Dolan, “I’m grateful to my brother Archbishop Gomez for agreeing to this friendly wager. I’m looking forward to three things: 1. A great World Series with the Yankees winning their 28th Championship; 2. Enjoying Randy’s Donuts; 3. Raising awareness of and support for the John Cardinal O’Connor School and the Catholic Education Foundation of Los Angeles.”

PINK’S HOT DOGS AND GRAY’S PAPAYA

Pink’s Hot Dogs unveiled a temporary makeover by becoming Dodger blue to celebrate the team in the World Series. According to co-owner, Richard Pink, "We painted the front, we painted the floors, we painted everything to recognize that the Dodgers made it to the World Series. We are so proud to support the Dodgers. This is the fourth time in Pink's 85-year history that we have turned blue, Dodger Blue. We did it in 2017, 2018, and 2020."

Pink’s also added a special promotion to its menu: a Blues Dog, a bacon chili cheese dog that costs $7.17. The $7 commemorates the seven times the Dodgers have won the World Series, and the 17 cents represents the number on Shohei Ohtani’s uniform. Proceeds from the Blues Dog will go to the LA Dodgers Foundation, which aims to “improve education, health care, homelessness, and social justice for all Angelenos.”

Pink’s also challenged Gray’s Papaya, a New York hot dog restaurant, to a World Series bet, with the loser promising to donate $1,000 to a charity of its choice.

OTHER BLUE FOOD PROMOTIONS

And lastly, two other restaurants are supporting the Dodgers with limited-time deals:

Randy’s Donuts is selling its Dodgers Blue doughnut with Bavarian cream filling for $3.40.

Panda Express is offering its rewards members a $5 Panda Plate with one side and two entrées with any Dodgers home game win. Naturally, the code is DODGERSWIN.

Did you CATCH other exciting news to add to this list? Chime in and share.

Image Credit: Pink’s aka Dodger Blue’s via KNX News.

Read my similar post entitled FUN STORIES SURROUNDING SUPER BOWL 56:

https://www.debbielaskeysblog.com/2022/02/fun-stories-surrounding-super-bowl-56.html

Branding and Marketing Lessons from Baseball

If you're a baseball fan, today is an important day. If you're not a fan of America's pastime, read on because there will be some unexpected branding and marketing lessons, and you might surprise yourself and become interested in baseball.

Baseball fans honor Abner Doubleday today, because he was born on this date in 1819. Although he was a career United States Army officer and Union general during the American Civil War, he also obtained the patent on the cable car railway that runs in San Francisco to this day. However, he is most widely known as the inventor of the game of baseball in Cooperstown, New York, in 1839.

So, as we celebrate Abner Doubleday and baseball, I’d like to introduce you to Brett Rudy from Boston. We recently discussed branding, marketing, and baseball, and highlights follow a brief introduction.

Brett Rudy is a marketing trailblazer with 20 years of experience in driving successful marketing campaigns. He combines creative flair, new technologies, and data-driven insights to deliver outstanding results. He's led marketing for many established brands, including Gillette, Toys R Us, Grand Circle Travel, and MedSchoolCoach. Brett's innovative spirit extends beyond his day job, where his passion for baseball allowed him to co-found the 100 Innings of Baseball for ALS, the Cooperstown Classic at the Baseball Hall of Fame, and Winterball for Toys for Tots. When he's not working, he can be found playing in the Boston Metro Baseball League.

QUESTION: You're a marketing pro and a serious baseball fan, so what do you think about the updated baseball uniforms that align with specific holidays such as Memorial Day, Mother's Day, and Father's Day? Do they succeed at telling a story, or are they simply another way to sell more branded/team stuff?

BRETT RUDY: Without question, custom baseball jerseys for holidays and unique events are clever ways of selling more merchandise. If a fan already has a home and away jersey, the only real way to create more demand is to come up with variations that fans would enjoy. As a Boston native, the Red Sox green jerseys for St. Patrick's Day, and the yellow Boston jerseys released for Marathon Monday as part of the City Series to celebrate Boston Strong, are quite popular.

Teams must love free agency. Whenever a player gets traded, their old uniform becomes a collector's item, and the new player who takes their place has new merchandise that the team may offer. Maybe MLB could offer uniforms using velcro to attach player names to jerseys, making it effortless for fans to switch player names whenever they want!

From a branding perspective, it's unclear whether changing uniforms frequently reinforces the product on the field – especially when done philanthropically. For example, although wearing pink ribbons on Mother's Day and baby blue ribbons on Father's Day are designed to increase awareness of breast and prostate cancer, it is doubtful that this approach is effective. There is already near 100% awareness. Plus, these color schemes reinforce outdated social norms. Instead, MLB should consider hosting more events designed to raise money and wipe out these diseases, rather than simply paying homage to them by changing colors.

(Here are some posts on the subject:
https://news.sportslogos.net/2021/05/13/exclusive-the-entire-2021-mlb-holiday-uniform-collection/baseball/
and
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/33616399/washington-nationals-wizards-unveil-cherry-blossom-themed-uniforms)

QUESTION: I read a post on Forbes that presented Major League Baseball's 10 Biggest Marketing Problems. What do you think about the list, and why do you think people prefer football over baseball?

(Here's the post:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/maurybrown/2019/06/06/major-league-baseballs-10-biggest-marketing-problems/?sh=b054c01724b8)

BRETT RUDY: Just to be clear, in the US, about 32% more people play baseball than football (15.6 million than 11.8 million). However, perhaps your question is about WATCHING football. In 2022, the NFL had 18.8 million attend games. In comparison, MLB paid attendance was 64.6 million last year – about 3.5x greater than football. So I think what you are REALLY asking is why people watch any given football game. That's easy – there are very few games, so each game has a lot of meaning. People love violence, and tackling is violent. And people love tailgating, because it is an excuse to drink.

However, I actually wrote a better article than the one written by Forbes about why marketing is really hurting baseball - here's the link:
https://baseballismy.life/baseball-attendance-decline-blame-marketing/.

In short,
 - Ballplayers Are Playing More Baseball, So Are Too Busy to Attend
 - The Seats Look Empty, Making the Game Look Boring
 - Buying Tickets Is Harder Than Negotiating a Used Car
 - Instant Replay Suggests that the Onfield Product Is No Good
 - Discussing Athlete Salaries Is Exploiting How Expensive the Game Is

All the recent rule changes to bigger bases, the pitch clock, player starting on second base in extra innings, and no intentional walks were all designed to make the game faster and more exciting. However, what the new rules are really doing is reinforcing to casual fans that there is a problem with the game. Unfortunately, that is not the case. The problem is a marketing one.

QUESTION: What do you think about the jersey advertising patches that will become commonplace on baseball jerseys during the 2023 season?

BRETT RUDY: In Boston, the Red Sox ARE the brand. Putting another logo over their existing logo (which is in fact the entire uniform) is lack of understanding what the brand it. It takes attention of the Red Sox uniform and puts it on a third party brand. That may not have a good long term effect.

If the objective is to generate more ad revenue, sell half as much real estate and then double the price – in other places. Like TV.

For example, if television commercials were cut in half, a viewer's likelihood of remembering any given commercial could potentially double. Plus, shorter ads would mean fans would be less likely to run to the bathroom, because they might miss the game – so they'd be watching more of the commercials. Each brand would also have a greater share of voice. With all this occurring, price per ad could actually be doubled, because over the course of the game, each brand would be spending the exact same. Yet, the fan experience would be better.
 
(Here's more info:
https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/mlb-to-add-jersey-advertising-for-first-time-in-league-history-as-part-of-new-cba-per-report/)

QUESTION: What are your three fave brands, and why?

BRETT RUDY: Right now, my favorite brand is HubSpot. At its core, HubSpot is CRM software. Whether in sales or marketing, it is easy to use. And it just works.

What sets HubSpot apart is where they go beyond. Their customer support is beyond what other brands provide. You can chat, text, or email them. You get a professional who truly is an expert to respond to you in typically a minute or two. They are super helpful.

Their marketing is perfect. Their Inbound event draws marketers from across the world with top speakers. It is educational, insightful, and more fun than any event I've been to. Big fan of HubSpot.

I'm also going to go with MLB. Even though baseball has a lot of marketing opportunities, MLB must be doing something right if they've kept me engaged for 40+ years in the sport.

And I can't believe I'm going to say this, but number three has to be Twitter, right? How can you spend an hour a day on a service that doesn't truly stimulate you – for better or for worse. It's where we met for this article, even. Are there things Twitter could do better? Of course. But the ability for people to meet and talk on any topic is unparalleled.

SHARE THIS: On Twitter, the ability for people to meet and talk on any topic in unparalleled. ~@bkrudy #Twitter #DebbieLaskeysBlog

 
QUESTION: A fun interview question is often, "If you could dine with five people, from history or real life, who would you choose and why?" I wrote a post featuring an inspiring list of 15 people - including Jackie Robinson. Who would you invite to your dinner party, and why?

BRETT RUDY: I've had the opportunity to have dinner with baseball legends such as Ernie Banks and Mike Schmidt, and drink wine with dozens of others – though not all at once. All were through work I did with Charity Wines, raising money for these athletes' charities based on wine sales. What I found most amazing is that they were just regular people, each with their own personalities and unique stories. They just happen to be a whole lot better at baseball than I ever was or will be.

If I could have dinner with three other people I've never met, Howard Stern would be amazing. Even though he claims to be super quiet in real life, I think he is remarkably insightful and clever. He is also a marketing genius, though he does so invisibly. How else could you have a #1 selling book, #1 selling movie, #1 TV show, and #1 radio show, all in the same career?

Steve Jobs had the ability to create a product simply and find a way to market it to people who didn't even know they needed it, which is amazing. He created entirely new categories. I need to get into his mind.

Larry Page and Sergey Brin are other people I would like to have dinner with. The fact that a brand can have so many products used by more than a billion people is unreal. From Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail, Google Sheets, Google Drive – I don't even know where the list ends. I need to better understand how this empire was built!

Okay, I know that's four.

(Read the full post here:
https://www.debbielaskeysblog.com/2022/06/my-amazing-dinner-party-of-15.html)

QUESTION: What does this quote mean to you? “Give something of meaning to your audience by inspiring, engaging, and educating them with story. Stop marketing. Start storytelling. ~@StorytellerAgcy”

BRETT RUDY: The best marketing is invisible. If you don't even know you are being marketed to, it is most effective. When a brand engages you and inspires you, that's a brand I want to be a part of. When a brand has a story that is compelling, that's something I want to listen to. When they are providing the education that I need, that is helpful. Content marketing in this way is better than a banner ad. That's why almost nobody clicks on them anymore. Brands can do better. And the ones that do are part of your life.

SHARE THIS: The best marketing is invisible. ~@bkrudy #MarketingTip #BrandingTip #BrandExperience #DebbieLaskeysBlog

My gratitude and appreciation to Brett for sharing his inspiring perspective about branding, marketing, and of course, baseball! However, I must end by adding, GO DODGERS!


Connect with Brett at these links:

Brett spends his days at MedSchoolCoach: https://medschoolcoach.com
Brett spends the rest of his time at Baseball Life: https://baseballismy.life
Brett spends some time during each day on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/bkrudy

Image Credit: iStock.