Heavy Hitters: The Biggest World Series Advertisers in the Last Five Years

The World Series begins Oct. 24 on Fox when the Houston Astros take on the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Astros are out to win their first World Series; the Dodgers have won the title six times, most recently in 1988.
The World Series draws a deep bench of major league advertisers pitching cars, telecom services, car insurance, food and beer. But its biggest spender over the past five years has been General Motors. GM's Chevrolet has played America's pastime for decades (think 1970s' iconic "Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet") and sponsors the Willie Mays World Series Most Valuable Player award. Last fall's matchup between the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians scored a record $460 million in TV ad spending.
Detroit Tigers: 0

General Motors (Chevrolet) | $11 |
AT&T (AT&T, DirecTV) | 9 |
Verizon | 9 |
Microsoft | 7 |
Yum Brands (Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC) | 7 |
Top five | $43 |
World Series total TV ad spending | $175 |
St. Louis Cardinals: 2

General Motors (Chevrolet) | $17 |
Yum Brands (Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC) | 13 |
AT&T (DirecTV, AT&T) | 12 |
Anheuser-Busch InBev | 12 |
Berkshire Hathaway (Geico) | 10 |
Top five | $64 |
World Series total TV ad spending | $277 |
Kansas City Royals: 3

General Motors (Chevrolet) | $18 |
Berkshire Hathaway (Geico) | 16 |
AT&T (DirecTV, AT&T) | 16 |
Yum Brands (Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC) | 11 |
Verizon | 10 |
Top five | $71 |
World Series total TV ad spending | $284 |
New York Mets: 1

General Motors (Chevrolet) | $16 |
AT&T (DirecTV, AT&T) | 14 |
Berkshire Hathaway (Geico) | 11 |
T-Mobile | 10 |
Yum Brands (Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC) | 9 |
Top five | $60 |
World Series total TV ad spending | $266 |
Cleveland Indians: 3

Ford (Lincoln, Ford) | $19 |
Berkshire Hathaway (Duracell, Geico) | 16 |
General Motors (Chevrolet) | 15 |
Procter & Gamble | 15 |
Verizon | 14 |
Top five | $78 |
World Series total TV ad spending | $460 |
Cleveland Indians: 3
General Motors (Chevrolet) | $76 |
AT&T (DirecTV, AT&T) | 64 |
Berkshire Hathaway (Geico) | 59 |
Yum Brands (Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC) | 51 |
Verizon | 49 |
Top five | $299 |
World Series total TV ad spending | $1,461 |
Source: Ad Age Datacenter analysis of measured-media spending data from Kantar Media.
More info: kantarmedia.com.
SOURCE: Ad Age Datacenter analysis of measured-media spending data from Kantar Media. Numbers rounded. More info: kantarmedia.com.
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