UPDATE: Seven New Ads: If Pittsburgh Pirates Marketing Was Honest

One day a major case study will be conducted on the marketing of the Pittsburgh Pirates.  It’s a modern day business miracle.  The customers keep coming through the turnstiles in large part due to some seriously talented marketing.  The 2012 Opening Day video was a strong example.  Focus on the future, angrily state ‘this isn’t the past’ as nostalgia is mocked, and never use graphics that could be used against the club in the future.  (See the ‘We Will’ Campaign.)

Smart stuff.  But from our perspective we feel there could be some room to target the die-hard Pirates fans with some new marketing.  The Honest Approach.

So what would that look like you say?  Well, the most prevelant taglines are Let’s Go Bucs and Pride. Passion.  Pittsburgh Pirates.

We take a few shots at each in this post.

Yeh, let’s just keep it at Pissing. Me. Off….. For…Years.

IC Light incorporated the LET’S GO BUCS! slogan into a campaign last year.  As a sponsor of the Bucs, Pittsburgh Brewing Company’s I.C. Light brand is well represented at tailgates and inside PNC Park.

The Quest Fore agency designed special edition Pirates packaging and a variety of marketing collateral. The design features, among other elements, the game’s iconic pinstripes, the Pirates logo/wordmark and player silhouettes.

We couldn’t help but piss with some of it…

We think this might garner some attention for the ballclub.

These Pirates promotional posters were found on Kaitlin Lusty’s website .   Lusty is a graphic designer for the Pirates.

UPDATE:  Damn, think we hit a nerve with the Buccos.  We were sent this message on 29JAN from Mark Cancilla

Tom-
You posted an article yesterday about Pirates ads using posters you found on Kaitlin Lusty’s website. As the art director for that ad campaign, I claim ownership for the posters and all other work created for the “My First” campaign. You have stolen, defaced, and published my work without my consent or that of my team. My team and I demand the bastardized pieces be removed from this article. If they are not removed we will seek further measures to ensure they are removed and the integrity of me and my team remains intact. What you thought was clever turns out to be plagiarism just down right rude. Remove these items immediately.

ITEM REMOVED, Erase from your memory if you saw it yesterday.

In this set of posters, the goal was to increase the fan demographic within the 14 to 25 year old market.   The so-called lost generation of Pirates customers.

We couldn’t help but modify her excellent work based on our visits to PNC Park.

ITEM REMOVED  Again, erase from your memory.

And lastly, the hated Pierogie Race.  It must end.

ITEM REMOVED  Again, erase from your memory.