Food & Beverage Hitting Attention Home Runs During World Baseball Classic

The World Baseball Classic has already provided plenty of thrilling moments this spring, adding some extra intrigue – and national stakes – to the usual lull of spring training. As Team USA competes with the sports' other powers, it's also providing another big opportunity for advertisers.

• Data from iSpot shows that some of the most effective ads, in terms of viewer attention, during the event so far have been from CPG food & beverage brands.
• Among ads with at least 5 million household ad impressions during the WBC to-date, Philadelphia led the way with "The Adventures of the Philly Boy - Origin Story" scoring 33% higher attention than the norm.
• Other CPG brands were in the on the act as well, though, as audiences stayed glued to the on-field drama: Michelob's "Play for an Ultra" earned 31% more attention than the norm, while Red Bull's Super Bowl spot – "Dog Date" was 30% higher than the norm.

The beer & hard seltzer industry has the highest share of household TV ad reach during the WBC, revealing a great match between ad buys and audience attention. Interestingly, though, CPG food brands were less prevalent; indicating an opportunity for those advertisers to explore placements during future baseball and/or WBC events.