Dodgers' Digital Bobblehead Giveaway Is Cool and Extremely California

By Joseph Myers

This month had already been shaping up to be an interesting span for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who enter tonight’s road tilt against the Cincinnati Reds just one-and-a-half-games behind the National League West-leading Colorado Rockies. On Friday, though, the reigning pennant-holders stoked their fanbase’s excitement even more, announcing that Sept. 21’s game will find the first 40,000 supporters receiving a digital bobblehead—as in, not a real, physical one.

The Dodgers definitely resonate as not only one of the most storied franchises in baseball but in all of professional sports, so that distinction, along with the tight division race, should join with the interesting and very on-brand promotion—which the organization is tabbing as the "first crypto giveaway in sports history"—to move a few extra tickets. The evening matchup between the contenders and the last-place San Diego Padres should prove a great occasion for the Dodgers to gain momentum, but it will also serve as a great experiment to test the reach of digital promos.

Dodgers announce they will hold a Digital Bobblehead Night on Sept. 21, believed to be the first Crypto giveaway in sports. https://t.co/eKumWAdmNj

— Dodger Insider (@DodgerInsider) September 7, 2018

The fortunate throngs who take in the game will be able to access the unique product after having received a coded card. Upon making a website visit, they will then apply the code so as to download the giveaway to their cryptocurrency-linked Ethereum wallet. Once they do, the Dodgers will present them with the digital incarnation of players Clayton Kershaw (their staff ace who has won three Cy Young awards and the 2014 MVP honor), Justin Turner (their All-Star third baseman) and Kenley Jansen (their All-Star closer who is returning to the team tonight following his latest battle with an irregular heartbeat).

“We hope this piques the interest of Dodger fans, and will help launch a new age of digital collectibles and promotions,” Lon Rosen, the organization’s executive vice president said of exploring “an entirely new marketplace” with the faithful backers.

Don’t miss the first-ever Digital Bobblehead Night at Dodger Stadium! On 9/21, the first 40,000 fans will receive a @ClaytonKersh22, @redturn2 or @kenleyjansen74 Crypto token to be downloaded and added to their Ethereum wallet.

🎟: https://t.co/36IUWLyXz9 pic.twitter.com/bVh6C5VNud

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 7, 2018

We here at Promo Marketing have not yet given much analysis to cryptocurrency and its possibilities, but we certainly acknowledge, like Dodgers pitcher Ross Stripling,—who dubbed crypto matters “insane” while lauding the promotion as “unprecedented”—that following how much it influences end-users can be inviting. Baseball has taken a few hits over the years regarding its popularity, and overseers have tried to work wonders to revive interest in the sport, with August’s second players weekend being a solid example. As we have noted many times, the sport also benefits from the general public’s love of bobbleheads, so come 10 days from now, the Dodgers will not be able to dodge inquiries on how successful their unique digital rendition of the beloved collectibles turned out.

Based on this concept by the baseball club, we are wondering which teams across professional and amateur sports might also profit from such a novel concept. With football also joining baseball as an attention-grabber, might the gridiron be the next sport to promote digital giveaways? If so, which players would make great initial choices? And what could similar promotions, if they catch on, mean for physical giveaways?