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Esurance bats for digital voting with MLB sponsorship

Esurance has signed on to be the exclusive auto insurance partner for Major League Baseball across its smartphone and tablet platforms as well as Web, including sponsoring new mobile voting capabilities and an upcoming awards platform. 

Esurance is helping power Major League Baseball?s new MLB All-Star Game Ballot, which is launching on all digital platforms this week and is set to take digital voting to the next level. The sponsorship also includes a collaborative effort on a new, modern awards platform, details of which have not yet been revealed.

?Esurance was born online ? our focus has always been on providing our customers a simpler, more convenient experience with the help of technology ? and mobile is a natural extension,? said Alan Gellman, chief marketing officer at Esurance, San Francisco, CA. ?Our products and services are available to customers via mobile ? for example, our Esurance Mobile App ? and we recognize that they also spend a lot of time consuming content and engaging with brands via their mobile devices.

?The new all-digital Esurance MLB All-Star Game Ballot reflects our commitment to be fast, efficient and innovative in everything we do.?

Digital voting
Consumers excited about placing their votes for the upcoming spring All-Star Game will now be able to eschew paper ballots in favor of digital means of voting, thanks to the Esurance MLB All-Star Game Ballot. The voting platform is currently available on MLB.com and all 30 of the team sites on smartphones, tablets and the Web.

Baseball fans can place their votes for the four top players in the franchise?s history, choosing from 30 Major League teams? rosters, including the New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays, Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves.

This tactic is optimal for on-the-go consumers, as they can easily place their votes via mobile or tablet devices while engaging in sports-centered discussions with friends, coworkers and family in any location.

?Esurance is the title sponsor for the Esurance All-Star Ballot, which marks the first time the ballot has gone all-digital,? Mr. Gellman said. ?By moving voting entirely online, Major League Baseball is giving baseball fans the opportunity to cast their vote anywhere and anytime, all at their convenience using a mobile platform.

?The all-digital Esurance MLB All-Star Game Ballot also allows Major League Baseball to reflect real-time player stats, making it more relevant and current to what?s happening throughout the season.?

Other categories open for voting include MLB Pioneers and Greatest Living Players. Fans can share their top picks via the #ASGworthy hashtag on social media.

The results from the digital voting platform will be revealed at the All-Star Game on July 14 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The voting can be accessed from any device by visiting mlb.com/vote.

?Online voting for the All-Star Game starters accounted for 80 percent of ballots cast last year and as we launch the first-ever digital only ballot, Esurance, through its commitment to helping consumers make smarter choices through technology, makes the perfect launch partner,? said Noah Garden, executive vice president of business for MLB, New York.

This suggests that the move to digital voting will positively resonate with many consumers.

Future plans
While specific details are not yet available, MLB plans to announce more initiatives that Esurance will undertake to roll out a 360-degree marketing effort featuring digital, social and broadcast assets. A newly created awards platform will also be introduced.

Esurance is tapping Buster Posey, a three-time World Series champion, to act as a brand ambassador as well.

Major League Baseball has been making increasingly larger pushes for mobile in recent weeks, which suggests that sporting fans prefer to be targeted more on their smartphones and tablets than desktops.

The brand?s official mobile application, MLB At Bat, reached 5 million downloads before the season?s first pitch was thrown, a record for the eight-year-old platform and pointing to mobile?s ability to enhance the consumption of sports events (see story).

MLB.com At Bat has also added Apple Watch users to its target audience on Major League Baseball?s official mobile application for the 2015 season, providing fans with vital scores, statistics and content to enhance engagement with the sport (see story).

?We have been focused on mobile for a decade, hiring our first mobile developers in 2005, and while the means to reaching consumers through mobile devices has changed dramatically since then, we remain constantly focused on delivering great experiences for baseball fans on whatever smartphone or tablet they use,? Mr. Garden said. 

Final Take
Alex Samuely is an editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York