The league today unveiled the MLB Fan Cave, a 15,000 square-foot location in New York City (on 692 Broadway, where Tower Records used to be) that is the temporary home of a man named Mike O’Hara. O’Hara beat out 10,000 other applicants for the MLB Dream Job, in which the MLB pays him to watch virtually every game on 15 Sony TVs and tweet about it. MLB worked with ad agency Hill Holliday on the effort.
O’Hara, a 37-year-old Yankees fan, will symbolize the formerly faceless MLB in social media, appearing in online videos with Ryan Wagner, his 25-year-old sidekick, and offering his thoughts on Facebook and a blog on MLBFanCave.com, in addition to his tweets. The two (pictured -- Mike is on the right) will also interview people on the street and post the interviews on the site. The Fan Cave will also host players from the league, parties and other events throughout the season. Because of local zoning laws, the two won't sleep inside the Fan Cave, but at an apartment nearby.
Tim Brosnan, MLB vice president of business, says this is an attempt to reach fans who are already on social media and engaging in what he calls “the electronic water cooler” to discuss MLB activities. “MLB has dipped its toe in the water of social media in last couple of years,” Brosnan says, “but this is our first full platform.”
The idea of using a regular Joe to act as a stand-in for a brand is a relatively new idea in social media marketing. For instance, Blue Cross Blue Shield has recruited a man named Scott for a similar 30-day program -- The Human Do.ing -- running right now in Minneapolis’s Mall of America. Scott, who is about 30 pounds overweight, lives in a glass structure outfitted with a webcam and offers his thoughts about changing his eating and exercise habits on Facebook and Twitter.
Jeffrey Gorder, director of business development for Mono, the agency that created the Blue Cross effort, says MLB’s idea is intriguing. “It’s approachable and authentic,” he says. “I’m glad they’re taking risks.”