 Fan Forum
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Overview of the Rangers' 2004 TV spots
The Rangers used "Come to Play" as a campaign theme for the 2004 season. The slogan let fans know the team would bring their best to the field every night and that spectators could "play" themselves at one of baseball's finest facilities. The tone of the spots varied according to the mission. Some, like "Mench and Rangers Captain" and "Old and New Merchandise" intend humor. Others, like "Mini Plans" and "Blalock Off," use poignant footage to communicate the message. The Rangers marketing department conceived the spots in house, and performed the video editing at their Rangers Ballpark in Arlington facility. They used freelancers to assist with some of the video elements gathered before the season and Dallas Audio Post mixed the audio. P.A. Announcer Chuck Morgan provides most of the voiceover work.
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| TV Commercials - "The Funny" |
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'Because' TV |
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The "Come to Play" campaign seeks to accentuate the joys of baseball for both player and fan. This spot's TV version match Laynce Nix up with a baseball-savvy boy to tell that story. Of course, their reasons for liking the game can vary.
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Decker Foods Dollar Hot Dog Nights |
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The Rangers and Decker Foods team up each year to provide fans with multiple nights during the season when they can buy hot dogs for just a dollar each. This year, when concocting the commercial to push the promotion, we said, "Who better to talk about Dollar Dogs than an actual dog?"
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Dr Pepper Cans |
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The Rangers have traditionally done a promotion in which fans could bring Dr Pepper or Diet Dr Pepper cans to the box office to receive a discount on April and May tickets. For the first time in 2004, a player's photo graced the can. This spot aimed to show how that feature might tweak a little girl's imagination.
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Dreyer's Grounds Crew Kid |
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The Rangers and Dreyer's Ice Cream partner in a contest to give kids a chance to hold second base while the grounds sweeps the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington infield during a game. This spot shows why our regular grounds crew members tend to skew older.
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Mench and Rangers Captain |
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Kevin Mench takes ribbing about his head in stride. He doesn't seem to mind getting teased about his overlarge cranium. But we wondered, "What if he had the chance to turn the tables?" This spot showcases the likeable Mr. Mench and also lets us brag a little bit about team mascot Rangers Captain.
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Old and New Merchandise |
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The Majestic Grand Slam Gift Shop at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington possesses the largest selection of Rangers merchandise anywhere. They have so much, in fact, that showing it all in a :30 second commercial would prove impossible. So instead, we decided to focus on some key items. The new sleeveless jersey, unveiled this season, seemed likely to become a hot item. And fans have made the throwback jerseys, such as the powder blue one we featured, popular lately as well. With an old-school item and a brand new one as centerpieces, pairing a current player with a past star to pitch them seemed logical. The fact that Michael Young wears the same number 10 that Jim Sundberg wore made the decision to recruit them even easier.
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Park Place Dealerships Texas Rangers Triple Play |
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This spot pushed one of the Texas Rangers Foundation's biggest fundraisers, the Park Place Dealerships Texas Rangers Triple Play. Mark Teixeira and his wife Leigh served as honorary chairs of the event. The evening features players and staff playing classic game show games as conceived by the pop-culture fraught mind of TV announcer Josh Lewin. Teixeira proved willing to poke some fun at himself after his efforts in Name that Tune the previous year.
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| The Exciting (lots of cool highlights) |
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Back from the Break |
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The Rangers had a full weekend planned for the series after the All-Star Break, including Rangers Ballpark in Arlington activities Friday, visiting Major League mascots, and giveaways Friday and Saturday. This spot reminded fans of all these reasons to return to the park after the team's three-week road trip.
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Blalock Off |
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Blalock Off" is, admittedly, a strange title for a TV spot. The title reflects the content - video of some of the frontline pitchers Blalock hit in his first full season in the Major Leagues. When we researched this spot, we marveled at just how much material we had to work with. In 2003, 22-year old Hank had success against a large sampling of top starters and closers. The spot shows the hits he got off these pitchers, hence, "Blalock Off.
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Buck Groups |
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While we hope everyone in Dallas/Fort Worth will root for the Rangers, we recognize that some transplants or other misguided individuals may hold alternate allegiances. We still want those lost souls to come to a game at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington so we can begin converting them. And what better way to do so than with a group of their friends and co-workers who cheer for the good guys? Buck Showalter makes that point in this spot, drawing on his own experiences.
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Mini Plans TV |
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In addition to full season ticket packages, the Rangers also sell smaller multiple game plans called "Mini Plans." One of the plans typically centers around some of the season's highest profile games, with a Mini Plan being a good option to ensure one gets tickets for these potential sellouts. This spot looked to remind potential purchasers about the impact level of the plan's games, as well as some of the special benefits buyers receive.
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More To It |
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The "Come To Play" campaign frequently emphasizes the simple joys of baseball. This spot featuring Mark Teixeira boils the game down to its basics.
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One Way to Play |
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Alfonso Soriano has shown himself capable of success in many areas for the Rangers. He's made spectacular plays with his bat, glove, feet, and arm. Though his manager has rarely called on him to do so, he can also play more than one position. When you add in the fact that he speaks three languages, Soriano really possesses remarkable versatility. This spot tries to show what he can do, and the effort with which he does it.
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| The Melting Pot |
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Albertson's Road Trip |
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Rangers Sponsor Albertson's gave Rangers fans the chance to win a trip to see the team on the road against division rival Anaheim. The spot emphasized that while players had to work hard to make the team, fans could go on the trip just by signing up (presuming their name was drawn as the winner).
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Spotlight on Youth Baseball |
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A mortgage company partnered with the Rangers to feature a youth baseball team on every TV broadcast and at every home game. As player spokesman for the program, Laynce Nix cut this appeal for teams to send us their tapes.
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| 4/10/2004 |
Ballpark Birthday Bash |
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On April 10. 2004, we held a 10th birthday party for what was then known as The Ballpark in Arlington. Players signed autographs, balloons were released, dignitaries were honored, and great moments were remembered. We let Buck Showater provide the kicker line next to our mascot. Both joined the ballpark staff last season.
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Birthday Candles |
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The first "general" spot of the "Come to Play" campaign, we shot it the day of the Mid-Winter Banquet. Hank Blalock and Michael Young served as on-camera talent.
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| 7/16/2004 |
July 16th |
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On July 16, 2004, the Rangers held a celebration of Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. The spot tried to emphasize what big deal that evening would be.
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Suites TV |
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Many fans don't realize that Rangers Ballpark in Arlington suites aren't just for well-heeled long term buyers. A fan can rent a suite for a single game starting at under $2000. For this spot we wanted to show fans they could have the luxuries a suite provides without losing any of the fun of just watching a ballgame.
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