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By Alan Snel, LVSportsBiz.com Publicher-Writer
LAS VEGAS, Nevada — It’s brilliant Minor League Baseball marketing.
The ballclub with an Aviators logo that confused fans when it was revealed in Dec. 2018 has produced two winning one-off promotional logos — the Gamblers for the “What If” promotion last year and tonight’s irreverent Cone Jesters that pokes good-hearted fun at the miles and miles of worker-free, cone-filled road work zones in metro Las Vegas.
The Cone Jesters logo and one-game brand will deliver financial results for weeks if not months to come because fans will buy the merhandise, especially the hats. The sleeve-less jerseys are goofy but creative.
The Aviators wrote on social media: “Inspired by the unofficial state flower. The traffic cone. this new identity is a tribute to the orange that lines our streets and shapes our skyline. For one night only, on August 15, we honor the chaos that builds our city, one lane closure at a time.”
The Aviators became the Whales for one “What If” promotion last season along with the Gamblers. Earlier this season, the Aviators assumed the identity of the “Belly Busters” May 16 to honor the Vegas buffet scene.
LVSportsBiz.com rated the Gamblers as a home run, the Cone Jesters as a triple, the Whales as a ground ball to shortstop and the Belly Busters as a strikeout.
The Cone Jesters were a humorous expression to the Las Vegas road scene seen here:
This week’s hot weather has dampened Aviators attendance this week for their Triple-A games against the Tacoma Raniers. For example, Wednesday’s announced crowd was reported at 4,075. Friday’s attendance jumped to an announced 6,764 as the Aviators/Cone Jesters defeated Tacoma, 10-9, on fireworks/military night.
But the Cone Jesters promotion Friday was a creative spark that brought smiles to the faces of fans.
It’s also the strength of Minor League Baseball — the ability to market with humor and irreverence while also making a buck off the merch. It also shows that the Triple-A baseball team occupies an important niche in the Las Vegas sports market, which is becoming gentrified with the costly tickets of major league sports.
Also, don’t be surprised if the Aviators re-brand into the Gamblers one day.
PSA
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Buy Alan Snel’s book, Bicycle Man.