Fanatics imagines Tom Brady as an MLB legend in new campaign

A new campaign from Fanatics Collectibles takes fans into the “Bradyverse,” or an alternate universe in which Tom Brady pursued baseball instead of football. The campaign, which includes spoof videos, social media posts and merchandise, promotes the release of Fanatics’ Bowman Draft baseball card set. The set includes the first official Tom Brady baseball card. The fantasy has a basis in reality. In 1995, baseball’s Montreal Expos selected Brady in the 18th round of the MLB draft, but he chose not to sign, instead attending the University of Michigan on a football scholarship. A lefthanded-hitting catcher, Brady was said to be a second- or third-round talent were it not for his college ambitions. Brady of course would go on to have a legendary career as an NFL quarterback while becoming one of the sports world’s most prolific brand spokesmen. Much of that holds true in Fanatics’ alternate universe, but it’s up to sharp-eyed sports fans to spot the Easter eggs. The “Geaux Brady” spot, from the agency Flower Shop, is set in a Montreal barroom where patrons are recalling Brady’s Hall of Fame baseball career. See our 2023 Marketers of the Year here “Geaux Brady” reveals Brady the baseball player hit 649 home runs (the same number of Brady’s NFL touchdown passes), won seven World Series championships (a match for Brady’s seven Super Bowl titles) and lost twice in the postseason to the Giants (San Francisco in baseball, New York in football). Brady’s would-be Expos teammates Vladimir Guerero, Larry Walker and Pedro Martinez are shown commiserating over those losses in the bar. And former Giants quarterback Eli Manning—playing a San Francisco Giant as part of the stunt—sent a reaction post on X, formerly Twitter. Well, it wasn’t ALL a dream…#BradyDay @Topps @SFGiants @giants https://t.co/3QsD3cngEg pic.twitter.com/GWHCU6lHjo— Eli Manning (@EliManning) December 12, 2023 Andrew Goodman, VP of brand marketing for Fanatics Collectibles, said the elaborate endeavor signals Fanatics’ commitment to sports cards and their collectors. “We’re marketing in a way they just haven’t in the hobby previously, and frankly, the collectors and the hobby deserve it,” Goodman said in an interview. “You have to respect how much folks love this stuff, and we’ve got to take that seriously. I think it comes out in our marketing.” Fanatics last year bolstered its trading card business with the $500 million acquisition of Topps, which includes the Bowman label, devoted to up-and-coming stars. “Bowman is our prospector brand, we talk about it as the origin-of-greatness stories. It’s the card before the card,” Goodman said. Brady’s Bowman card pictures him in an Expos uniform; a small number of the cards come with Brady autographs and inscriptions, including one reading, “If this baseball thing doesn’t work out, there’s always football.” These are already generating high demand on the collector circuit. 🚨 BREAKING NEWS 🚨There is officially a $500,000 BOUNTY on the 12/50 Gold Tom Brady autograph.The buyer is one of the world’s biggest Brady collectors who prefers to remain anonymous, but I have vetted this offer and can verify that it is 100% legitimate.Better yet, there… pic.twitter.com/dQ8kyWDTgz— The Collectibles Guru 🧠 (@ericwhiteback) December 9, 2023 Mitchell & Ness, the specialty sports apparel brand also owned by Fanatics, is producing a replica Expos jersey with Brady’s name and number 12 on the back, available for sale today at the brand’s website. The promotion launched on Dec. 12, or 12/12 to honor Brady's jersey number. The Baseball Hall of Fame prepared a fake induction plaque for Brady, which it posted on social media. Could Tom Brady have made it to Cooperstown if he stuck with baseball?A glimpse into an alternate universe... #BradyDay https://t.co/HUE1c3UCr4 pic.twitter.com/8DV5NzC9eS— National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum ⚾ (@baseballhall) December 12, 2023 “All this really cool stuff kind of brings it all together,” Goodman said. “Some of its kind of esoteric and odd, some of it you can actually put on your back. Either way, it’ all really fun.” Brady’s marketing career is celebrated in the video. Memorabilia in the bar includes a box of Frosted Exp-Os and a baseball-themed “Got Milk?” ad (Brady was photographed for the “Got Milk?” series in his football gear in 2002). A hammy commercial for his own car dealership plays in the bar. Topps posted the full fake spot online Wednesday (see below). Goodman praised Brady’s ability to sell the fantasy. “You never know what you’re going to get [with athlete performers], but he’s the goat,” Goodman said. “You realize, oh, he’s just really good at everything. He figures out a way to create authenticity. And that’s kind of what we do—we tell these cool, authentic stories that bring our products to life and our brand to life. We talk about why people love this stuff. And he gets that.”

Fanatics imagines Tom Brady as an MLB legend in new campaign

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