If It’s Sad Day for Fans, It’s a Challenge for Marketing

The Blue Crew Fan Club may have lost its leader, but the Dodgers shouldn’t lose too much marketing luster after trading superstar catcher Mike Piazza to the Florida Marlins on Friday.

The mural of Piazza that adorns an exterior wall of Dodger Stadium will come down. The television spots that featured Piazza will be replaced. The kids’ fan club will find a new leader.

But the loss of a local hero should be more than offset by a trade that brings a flood of prominent talent to Los Angeles. For Piazza and infielder Todd Zeile, the Dodgers acquired infielder Bobby Bonilla, catcher Charles Johnson and outfielders Sheffield and Jim Eisenreich, all from the defending World Series champions and all but Eisenreich all-stars.

“As a marketer, you can jump all over this,” said Rick Burton, sports marketing professor at the University of Oregon. “The first day you get those guys in uniform, you start banging the marketing drum. These are the new Dodgers.”

In Piazza, the Dodgers lost one of the most recognizable names in baseball. But as the Dodgers’ broadcast outlets--KTLA (Channel 5) and Fox Sports West 2--scrambled to yank ads featuring Piazza and replace them with new ones, neither outlet paused too long to mourn. Fox, in particular, had portrayed Piazza prominently in ads that urged viewers to demand cable companies add Fox Sports West 2 to their lineups.

“Clearly, Mike is and was a marquee player,” said Peter Liguori, Fox Sports Net senior vice president of marketing. “But we felt we always did a good job of spreading the publicity around. We market the Dodgers on Fox Sports West 2.

“We’re tickled. . . . We’re bringing over four world champions and three all-stars. From our standpoint, that’s exciting to promote. We think we can generate new interest in the team.”

Piazza is a five-time all-star, but the Dodgers were 0-6 in two playoff appearances during his tenure.

The Dodgers traditionally shy away from promoting a particular player, so they don’t risk wounding a marketing campaign with the trade. The Dodgers’ marketing focus last year featured the five consecutive rookies of the year (Eric Karros, Piazza, Raul Mondesi, Hideo Nomo and Todd Hollandsworth), and this year’s push celebrates the Dodgers’ 40th anniversary in Los Angeles. The murals outside the stadium spotlight not only Piazza but Zeile and more than half the players on the team.

“When you make your plans each year, you’re selling great family entertainment and value. That’s what holds up,” said Barry Stockhamer, Dodger vice president of marketing. “That’s an important part of the story, the great players that have worn the Dodger uniform. But there’s much more than that: history, fans, the stadium, [Vin] Scully, entertainment.”

By this point in the season, Burton said, the Dodgers are unlikely to sell many more season tickets, and single-game sales depend largely on the performance of the team. By seriously inflating their budget to accommodate the salaries of Sheffield and Bonilla, the Dodgers send a clear signal of wanting to win this year.

The Marlins dumped most of their well-paid players for prospects last winter, and they are expected to do the same with Piazza and Zeile.

Piazza’s popularity took a hit last month when Dodger Stadium fans booed him after his rejection of what would have been the largest contract in baseball history. And, with Piazza playing decently but not spectacularly and the team sputtering under .500, Burton said fan backlash should be muted.

“Seven games out, the fans aren’t wedded to this situation,” Burton said.

According to Carolyn Aguayo of KTLA, the majority of Dodger viewers are fans who will watch no matter who plays for the team. Fans who rooted primarily for Piazza may watch too, she said, to check out the new Dodgers.

“There’s some concern about losing Mike, because he has such marquee value,” Aguayo said. “But it’s too soon to tell.

“I mean, at least I’ve heard of the other players. Their names are pretty much well-known.”