NEW YORK — The Mets may lead the league in viral moments.
On Opening Day, the club’s veteran of the game, the legendary World War II veteran Seymour Weiner, got things going. Grimace, the McDonald’s character, threw out a first pitch that either preceded or coincided with the Mets’ early-summer comeback. Just as the Mets offense started to connect, veteran infielder José Iglesias shared his summertime hit song, “OMG.” (This week, the song’s popularity in New York led to mockery from the other dugout.)
Weiner was already brought back by the Mets for a promotion to hot dog. The first 15,000 spectators will receive “OMG” T-shirts on Saturday. A unique ticket with a “OMG” foam finger is available on Tuesday.
How does a major league team determine how to profit from its online celebrity? How does it determine what appeals to its fan base and how to strategically capitalize on that to be entertaining without becoming obnoxious?
Andy Goldberg is the executive vice president and chief marketing officer of the Mets, and it is his responsibility to make these kinds of decisions. I spoke with Goldberg last week about what he considered to be a “extraordinary” season for the team and what sets one viral moment apart from another. Goldberg is in his third season in the position and oversaw the design team behind the Mets’ city connect jerseys, which were launched this season.
We had this interview last Thursday. This Thursday, The Athletic got in touch with the team again to inquire about their most recent marketing campaign, which featured Hawk Tuah Girl Haliey Welch throwing out the first pitch.Since we have not heard back, we will update this story.
The interview has been lightly edited and condensed:
Seymour Weiner, a World War II veteran, became an instant fan favorite, and the Mets found a way to feature him in a hot-dog promotion. (Courtesy: New York Mets)
How do you respond when something goes wrong, like with Seymour Weiner earlier this year or with Grimace hitting the opening pitch?
Both are excellent instances, despite their stark differences. We knew Seymour Weiner’s name; he was a veteran of the game on Opening Day. He acknowledged having heard all of the jokes in the book. We approached out again when it took off, discussing the possibility of holding the dollar dog night and asking if he would be interested. They cherished it. We most likely would not have employed him if it had not taken off because it would not have made sense. However, our fan base was enjoying themselves immensely. We thus leaned in little.
We have two members of our staff who are ardent followers of Grimace. That one defies explanation. Knowing that Grimace’s birthday was in June, we contacted him to ask him to do a first pitch. I am not sure if Grimace would have taken off if we had not immediately gone on the winning streak. But it did, and we truly gave the fans ownership of that one. We did not even begin to toe the water until after the fans had embraced it wholeheartedly for several weeks, and on Pride Night, Grimace made a surprise appearance. After that, we collaborated with McDonald’s to include him in our video for the schedule release. It was meant to be a gentle touch.
Fans credited the appearance of Grimace for a midseason turnaround, so the Mets quickly brought him back for a sequel. (Pamela Smith / Associated Press)
To what extent are you, as a department, looking for things that resonate with fans? Does someone have a defined role for that?
Let us be blunt: It is not a task for one person. The marketing staff as a whole has a responsibility to pay close attention to what our fans are talking about in the media and in the marketplace; these conversations should not always be about players’ on-field exploits, but rather about topics that pique their interest.
Some of them have captivated our fan base’s attention this year. As someone on my team put it, we prefer the internet to the internet. We like to let it breathe. It facilitates the fan base’s genuine understanding of these events; they must enjoy it, own it, and feel accountable for it.
Grimace is a character that another firm has trademarked. How different from José Iglesias’s “OMG” song is that attempt at incorporation?
Yes, and every business is unique. We have been quite fortunate that McDonald’s expressed excitement about it. That is beneficial. In my opinion, if the entire thing was planned by us as the brand, it fails to pique the interest of the public in the way we would have liked and, more significantly, fails to pique the interest of the competing business. That was its alluring quality. It was natural. It was not forced to go viral; it happened on its own.
The players welcomed that since it was one of their own when they said, “OMG.” Before it was released to the public, they wanted us to play that as their home run song. They were welcoming it, and our goal was to help one of our guys shine by giving him the chance to perform a really popular tune that we consider to be the “tune of the Summer.” It was a significant occasion we planned to have him play on the field following a victory, but only after we let the players enjoy it. That sign was made by a fan. That sign is not our creation. That player-made sign was made by a fan.
To put it another way, “OMG” is a component of the team experience; they play the music and have the sign. Grimace is more of an experience for fans.
After they have seen it, we act quickly, but very carefully. It seems forced and unauthentic if we create it, in my opinion.
Okay, so how much would you ever attempt to engineer such a moment, or would you just have to wait for it to naturally arise?
In 99 percent of situations, they have to happen spontaneously most of the time. These are entirely different from the deliberate, campaign-focused effort we perform when trying to make an impression. For example, we introduced our offer during a back-to-school promotion and with an all-access pass for the homestand.
Those are really purposeful campaigns that aim to accomplish something. These are mostly meant to spark curiosity and convey the message that anyone who wishes to join our family is welcome to do so.
Fans constantly seem to catch something new and distinctive about the Mets. This year, these have been a lot of fun, have made the fans very happy, and let us indulge a little.
You have discussed striking a balance between giving it room to breathe and straining it. How can you avoid alienating a conventional fan who feels differently about these matters?
There is a thin line. You do not want to give in to their demands. Many of the traditional fans are aware that this is happening because they see all of this. I prefer to think that it happens in the background and that it is more for the casual or fun-loving fan, regardless of whether they are happy about it or not.
The most typical supporter, they get into it and if they’re winning because of Grimace, who cares? They’re winning. It does not matter if they win or if it benefits and uplifts the team, whether they like it or not. Every player makes the same statement. When you inquire about Grimace, they respond with, “Whatever.” It is excellent if people like it.
When you decide to do something with “OMG,” how long is the timeframe to get that out?
To be honest, we kind of put it off because we wanted to see how we fared through July. In mid-July, we made the decision to embrace it. We collaborated with José’s team during our meeting. Something as simple as a T-shirt and a foam finger may be fixed quickly; anything more involved takes months. When the memory is still fresh, we wanted to do it in August. What happens if September arrives and the music loses its appeal or something new becomes popular? It is all about seizing the opportunity within that window of time and attempting to determine what we can do fast enough without turning around. It is challenging. To thread the needle of doing it within the allotted time and producing something useful for the
Is there anything else in the works for the last two months or are you just waiting to see what happens?
If there is a miracle, we will seize the opportunity. This year has been extraordinary; from Grimace to Seymour Weiner to “OMG,” there are some things you just can not make up. That is why baseball is special. We will undoubtedly be keeping an eye out for anything further that emerges. We are going to keep riding the “OMG” phenomenon. Proceed to play excellent baseball and take it home from there.
(Top photo of Pete Alonso and Jose Iglesias: Scott Taetsch / Getty Images)
