We’ll see plenty of “fun” in the new MiLB Oatly promo in the forms of fourth-inning halftimes, an eighth-inning eye roll and a new “oatfield” between first base and the dugout.
None of this should impact the action on the field–which means purists can relax–but it does add a layer of irrelevance to the Minor League Baseball experience. The MiLB Oatly promo was announced the other day as “The Official Oatmilk from Sweden That Started Like 35 Years Ago But Is Now All Over America Where It’s Promoting Various Kinds of Frozen Dessert Products In One of Those First-Ever Plant-Based Sponsor Deals You Know The Kind We’re Talking About of Minor League Baseball.” Oatly’s branding historically has been irreverent, to be sure, and the new MiLB Oatly promo–where Oatly proclaims the Swedish firm is “down to clown”–is designed to be irreverent, per Ad Week:
“Instead of talking nuts and bolts, we wanted to see if there was creative synergy and if we could come up with things that hadn’t been done in the world of sports,” Turco told Adweek. “We wanted to establish some new rituals, and they kept one-upping our ideas.”
Foul balls hit into the “oatfield,” the space between first base and the dugout, will trigger free sweet treats for the audience at a dozen stadiums. The “half a halftime show” will run in all parks during the fourth inning, consisting of 30 seconds worth of original content developed by Oatly, known for its memorable Super Bowl commercial, true crime-inspired podcast, puppet-centric ad series and other eye-catching marketing.
“When you take a look at their brand ethos, it mirrors the MiLB in that it’s fun, unique and non-traditional,” Uzma Rawn, senior vice president of global partnerships for sibling properties MLB, MiLB and Little League, told Adweek. “We can play off each other’s uniqueness.”
As noted, it doesn’t sound like anything here will impact the game on the field; the “halftime” show is only 30 seconds long. And for the record, the “oatfield” promo will dispense free promotional treats at a limited number of ballparks if a foul ball lands between first base and the dugout.
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