Case Study: How Major League Baseball Doubled Fan Research Without Increasing Costs

Company: Major League Baseball
Contact: Dan Derian, MLB Senior Director of Research
Location: Location: New York, NY
Industry: Professional Sports, B2C
Annual revenue: $6,000,000,000
Number of employees: 250

Quick Read:

Each year, when Major League Baseball's postseason culminates with the World Series in October, all eyes are on the MLB—or are they? With most teams out of the running, do those teams' fans actually continue to watch? Are the time and resources invested in marketing such high-profile events worthwhile, or even in tune with fans' true passion for the game?

Such insight used to be financially infeasible for the MLB's Senior Director of Research Dan Derian. But the introduction of an online advisory panel in late 2006—dubbed the "MLB Fans at Bat" and made up of avid supporters from all over the country—has allowed the organization to successfully double its research efforts.

Moreover, it helped make the 2007 postseason far less ambiguous, answering not only which fans tuned in but also whether (1) Dane Cook was a good spokesperson; (2) the message was communicated clearly; (3) and the overall creative material was on target.