• by Aaron Baar , June 11, 2009

Sharp is deepening its ties to Major League Baseball -- it's already the official HDTV sponsor of the league -- turning its erstwhile promotion-dedicated Web portal into a deeper resource for baseball fans.

"As we were doing activation throughout the year, we thought it would be a good way to deepen our connection to Major League Baseball," Judah Zeigler, associate vice president of retail and consumer marketing at Sharp, tells Marketing Daily. "Our activation is year round, and we want to make sure consumers know we have this available."

The site, www.sharpmlb.com (which was originally active only during eight-week seasonal promotions), will feature deeper content, including blogs by several active players signed to Sharp promotional contracts (such as the Brewers' Prince Fielder, the Yankees' Joba Chamberlain and the Cubs' Ryan Theriot), and information about promotional appearances. "We wanted to give fans the chance to interact with the players," Zeigler says. "The addition of the players to our assets has enriched the program."

The site also includes detailed information about Sharp's partnership with MLB, which goes beyond putting the two logos together in advertisements. When the league implemented instant replay last year for the playoffs, he says, the technological hub for those reviews included Sharp HDTVs. The section also includes a statement from Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig about the partnership.

The portal, designed by Continuity, the digital arm of Sharp agency McGarry Bowen, will continue to be a place where consumers can also learn about promotions, including the annual promotion launching in July (Ziegler declined to offer details.)

The site is also the home for an ongoing sweepstakes tied to MLB's Player of the Month award (for which Sharp is the presenting sponsor). Fans who guess the recipients of the award before it is presented will be entered into a contest to win a Sharp Aquos television.

Sharp will promote the site through some online avenues, as well tagging the site in all of its MLB-tied print advertising, Zeigler says.