The Premise
At the captivating start of the 2016 World Series, the Austin Institute released a groundbreaking study entitled “Called Out at Home.” Its pages addressed the deep connection between absent fathers in African American households and the sharp decline in the number of African American Major League Baseball players. The conclusion boldly claimed: it takes a father to make a professional baseball player.
Yellow Line Digital’s role was to assist in the presentation of the data through graphics and layout, as well as to amplify the research and its implications in the digital sphere. We were drawn to this project because of its emphasis on the importance of fatherhood and our own commitment to promoting family values. It was a small project with a small budget, but we were eager to make its big message leave the greatest impact possible.
Our primary objective was clicks: we wanted to reach multiple relevant audiences and compel them to read the study. Against the backdrop of the biggest series in America’s pastime, we set an ambitious goal of 5000 clicks. Our secondary objective sought to create a conversation around the topic of fatherhood and baseball. We utilized the timeliness and context of the MLB postseason and World Series to meet these objectives.
The Strategy
We identified four key groups: African Americans, fathers, grandfathers, and young baseball fans. We targeted each audience with customized posts, including dark Instagram posts, and promoted Facebook posts and tweets. Due to its controversial nature, timing, and appeal, our content succeeded in spurring engagement and interest in the study.
Millennial baseball fans were very eager to consume the study due to their affinity for statistics-based arguments as well as the nationally relevant topic of race relations. Dads and African Americans, the two groups most affected by this study, responded well to ads that tapped into the father–son elements of baseball.
The Results
Our efforts in paid promotion earned thousands of clicks, along with substantial conversation and reactionary engagements. There were 6125 clicks to the study in total, well above the ambitious number originally set. We optimized for traffic, deploying powerful algorithms to find those most interested in our target audience. These “dark” posts brought in the majority of traffic.
The promotion also garnered considerable social PR outcomes. Entities such as The Shadow League, Family Research Council, and CNS News all shared the study. Overall, the promotion heralded Austin Institute’s biggest week on social media across Facebook and Twitter!
Conclusion
So, why does all this matter? What’s so important about baseball? Baseball holds a very dear place in the hearts of our nation. It’s an essential institution, not because it’s a game, but because of how it unites us and forms teams and generations. Even more important is the institution of fatherhood. By demonstrating the connection between absent fathers and declining rates of African American players in the MLB during the past 35 years, the Austin Institute proved that dads and father figures have an indispensable role to play in the lives of their children, including future baseball players.
Whether your team is the Cubs or White Sox, Yankees or Mets, A’s or Giants, for most players on the roster, the person who made the greatest impact on their success in baseball was Dad. The evidence resoundingly shows that family structure has significant and long-lasting effects on a child’s life prospects. Yellow Line Digital is proud of helping the Austin Institute bring this important research to light in the digital sphere.
