Twins: The Shorty Awards Submission
TL;DR
We created the Minnesota Twins’ first micro-influencer program, driving 1M+ impressions and helping them achieve their goal of bringing a new, younger audience to Target Field.
WHERE WE STARTED
With an average fan age of 57, the Minnesota Twins find themselves in a similar position as many other professional baseball teams – fans are aging out and young fans aren’t engaging as quickly as they need them to. Add in a myriad of local “influencers” offering free tickets (to everything!) on social, and we knew we needed more than a basic micro-influencer strategy to reach a new audience of sports fans who expect authenticity and a unique POV when they engage online.
So, we partnered with the Minnesota Twins to build a first-of-its-kind micro-influencer strategy that would leverage genuine interests and personalities of local influencers to inspire new, young audiences to think about the Twins, consider buying tickets to attend games, and most importantly, share their experience with their networks!
WHAT WE DID
We began by identifying four categories of Target Field offerings that we believed would excite potential young fans the most: Retail, Food & Beverage, Groups & Theme Nights, and Family.
Then, we enlisted a team of micro-influencers to attend Minnesota Twins games and authentically share their day (or evening) at Target Field, through the lens of these four categories, throughout the baseball season. All five partner influencers were briefed on the categories, based on their particular following and the category we believed they’d identify the strongest with. Through this, they were able to cover a wide range of interests, speaking to their fans on the topics they’d relate most to.
THE STARTING LINEUP
DJ Blasé
Jordan AKA DJ Blasé is a local DJ, entertainer and fashion influencer. His following is incredibly engaged and he brought in a younger audience that’s passionate about sports, music and pop culture. For the Twins, Blasé hosted multiple DJ nights at Target Field promoting a Marvel Theme Night and summer Happy Hour deals.
Lindsey Ranzau
“Doing Things” influencer who is known for highlighting happenings in Minnesota. Lindey highlighted everything from her little one’s first game, Target Field’s HH’s and concert nights, and the best food to enjoy at a game.
Football to Fatherhood
Ced Thompson is an NFL player-turned-content creator focused on family. A proud girl dad, Ced created content around taking his family to their first games, Target Field’s Kids Days, and Woman’s Baseball game day.
Midnite Minnesota
Ashley is the Director of Content and player with the Minnesota Rokkr’s and brought her gaming expertise & community to the field! Ashley and the Rokkr’s helped host and promote a MLB gaming lounge at Target Field to tap into the growing gaming fan base.
Angie Marie
Angie is a mom and wife who is obsessed with Peloton and the MN Twins. Angie frequently shows off her impressive Twins fan cave and team merch via social. Angie brought her MN Twins passion to her content and her audience could not have been more excited to see us partner with a die hard super fan.
OUR PINCH HITTERS
Additionally, we identified opportunities to bring in more influencers for one-off engagements throughout the season. These partners drove additional event amplification on top of the always-on influencer partnerships.
That Midwestern Mom
Known for her over-the-top Midwestern accent and comedy/humor. Plus, secret opera singing talent, The Midwestern Mom attended a game and blew everyone’s socks off with her National Anthem.
Tim Nelson
Minneapolis foodie who loves to create content surrounding what’s new and delicious in the Twin Cities. There was a downpour at Tim’s game, but he was able to double down and create a fun video highlighting the food to enjoy at Target Field and how to stay dry.
Fly Grl Lifestyle
Channelle is a mom with a passion for street style who knows how to rock a baseball cap. Channelle created content showcasing BTS of picking and styling the perfect game day outfit.
The Saunders Twins
Twin sisters who both have little ones. They’re known for their adorable family content and their MN pride. The Saunders took their boys to their first game and picked out matching outfits for all while highlighting the activities Target Field has to offer…especially for toddlers who don’t want to sit still.
THE RESULTS
Our 46 micro-influencer posts received 1M+ impressions and 143K+ engagements, shared Twins branding, content, and the opportunity to attend Minnesota Twins games across our target audience’s feeds. Additionally, our influencer posts can be directly attributed to 242 ticket sales over the course of the baseball season.
Most importantly, this program successfully connected with new, younger fans and even brought some of them to Target Field for games. We also received high praise and commentary from the influencers’ social communities, building a foundation of future fans through our micro-influencer program.
