“The funniest ads in baseball”
–Adweek

TV | OUTDOOR

A beloved MLB advertising campaign that gives fans a glimpse
at the guys behind the gloves.

The Mariners have had some of the greatest stars to play the game, including Ichiro, Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez and Robinson Cano, but have struggled to translate individual talent into playoff appearances. As a result, they can’t rely on on-field success to fill seats.

With the ballclub as our inaugural client, you could say that we technically began as a sports marketing agency. And for 25 years, the Mariners sports marketing team and CF relied on an enduring strategy: use humor to make the fans fall in love with players on and off the field.

Not just a campaign, it's a national sports story.

During launch week for the campaign, the buzz can be deafening. Over the years, the ads have been shared and talked about by SportsCenter, Sports Illustrated, Bleacher Report, Adweek and more. And they’re regularly shared yearly during sports broadcasts, and by individual columnists.

Three Seattle Mariners players near the pitchers mound

1980s heavy metal hair band on the baseball field with a Seattle Mariners player

Seattle Mariners player Felix Hernandez wearing a disguise

Overhead shot of T-Mobile Field with graphics for The Cano Show

Seattle Mariners player at batting practice with team members onlooking

Seattle Mariners player Nelson Cruz smiling to camera with a gleaming tooth

CF does a fantastic job capturing our players’ personalities, the ins and outs and quirks of the game.

– Gregg Greene, Adweek Interview

Out-of-home hits it out of the park.

We created unignorable out of home pieces that featured select players’ strengths with a bold design and loud headlines.

Transit ad with Nelson Cruz hitting a ball with the headline Look Out Above

Transit ad with Canadian pitcher James Paxton in mid-pitch and the headline The Pride of Canada Ain't Syrup

Transit ad with a Seattle Mariners player sliding into home base and the headline Race You Home

Transit ad with Robinson Cano hitting a ball and the headline reads RBI nson Cano

Transit ad with Dee Strange-Gordon running and the headline No Stop Signs

Transit ad with Mitch Haniger hitting a ball and the headline All Five Tools, Hammer Included

Buses kept score

City bus backs, usually a media afterthought, became huge hits with a custom execution that highlighted the Mariners explosive offense. Fans posted photos of buses they’d captured around town, some with pretty wild scores.