SerpApi.Org
The way baseball fans show their allegiance is changing, with team pride no longer ending at the ballpark but becoming part of their everyday identity — from their office desks and kitchen counters to nearly every corner of daily life.
"Even after 17 years of going to baseball games, the merchandise fans bring still surprises me," said a fan surnamed Shim on July 20. Shim attended 35 KBO games last year and another 26 this season. "These days, instead of one-off novelty goods, practical products really stand out."
Shim even spotted fans eating fruit packed in food containers bearing the team's logo at the games, enjoying the oft-overlooked privilege of bringing outside food into KBO games.
"Ballparks have been encouraging fans to cut back on disposable items, so it aligns with that effort,” Shim said. “It is also a practical way to show you're a fan in everyday life."
Professional baseball — which attracts 10 million spectators yearly — has transformed its merchandise strategy. Instead of limiting themselves to cheering sticks, caps, jerseys and plush dolls, teams and brands are increasingly putting logos on everyday products.
The approach is resonating with fans, many of whom see a trip to the ballpark as a more affordable way to enjoy leisure time than paying hundreds of thousands of won to go to a concert.
Earlier in July, LocknLock — a manufacturer of food containers — released a collection of tumblers, reusable silicone storage bags and cooler bags in collaboration with the Doosan Bears.
Logitech launched a co-branded keyboard and mouse set with the LG Twins on June 24, and the products sold out the following day. The electronics maker has since expanded the lineup with another collaboration with Doosan.
Samchuly Bicycle is also selling bicycles developed in partnership with the KBO.
"As merchandise shifts from display pieces like figurines to products people can actually carry and use, consumers appear to be getting more satisfaction from their purchases,” Hwang Jin-joo, a professor of consumer science at Inha University, said. "For companies, it's a win-win: the products serve as everyday advertising while broadening the range of merchandise they can offer."
Sales tied to baseball collaborations have been climbing sharply across the retail industry.
CJ OnStyle sold more than 25,000 units of everyday goods, including umbrellas and hand towels developed in collaboration with all 10 KBO clubs, within four days of their April launch.
Sales of merchandise created with baseball teams jumped 433 percent on the resale platform Kream in the first nine months of last year compared with the same period a year earlier.
The economic impact of baseball marketing has also grown significantly.
The KBO reportedly generated about 1.11 trillion won ($750 million) in consumer spending last year, according to an analysis by the Hyundai Research Institute. The value-added effects reached 465.3 billion won.
As competition over baseball marketing intensifies across industries, companies and clubs are also drawing subtle competitive lines.
Earlier this year, Starbucks teamed up with eight of the KBO's 10 clubs, including the SSG Landers, an affiliate through Shinsegae Group. Notably absent were the Lotte Giants, owned by Lotte Group, operator of the Angel-in-us Coffee chain, and the Twins, whose parent company sells Georgia Coffee through LG Household & Health Care.
BY KANG BO-HYUN [[email protected]]
