The Japanese national team’s victory at the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in March 2023 just before the commencement of the Japan’s 2023 baseball season served as a catalyst for the international promotion of the Pacific League, one of the two Japanese professional baseball leagues constituting Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in Japan. Surfing the wave of international acclaim garnered by the players and the team, Pacific League Marketing Corporation (PLM), a joint capital investment company by 6 professional baseball teams belonging to the Pacific League in Japan, has embarked on promotional activities in Taiwan. This article explores the background leading up to these promotional activities, the current state of the Pacific League’s content international outreach, the vision of PLM’s Overseas Group, and a recap of this year's initiatives in Taiwan, as well as the future goals we at PLM aim to achieve.
Current State of the Pacific League’s Content International Outreach
Dedicated to the mission of "cultivating a new fan base for Japanese professional baseball," PLM is continually aiming to penetrate new fan markets. As of September 2023, our partnership contracts with overseas broadcasters extend to three countries: Taiwan, the U.S., and Canada. Taiwan, in particular, has been broadcasting and streaming Pacific League games for ten consecutive years, earning substantial support from many local fans.
Vision of the PLM’s Overseas Group
To strategically advance PLM's overseas business in anticipation of the 2023 professional baseball season in Japan, the Overseas Group of PLM articulated a vision "to invigorate and energize Japanese society as a whole through the global development of professional baseball and sports."
This vision enabled us to present consistent proposals and their background during negotiations with external stakeholders. Emphasizing this vision in communications, especially during the unprecedented circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, was crucial for ensuring alignment of goals both internally and externally.
Achievements and Reflections of the 2023 Initiatives in Taiwan
Considering the current international outreach of the Pacific League content, and with the aim of furthering the global development of Japanese professional baseball, we renewed our collaboration with the Rakuten Monkeys, a Taiwanese professional baseball team with whom we had previously partnered before the pandemic, and Eleven Sports Taiwan, the broadcaster and streamer of Pacific League games in Taiwan. The planning and preparation of our joint event with both partners were conducted exclusively through virtual meetings.
From July 21 to 23, 2023, we took part in the YOKOSO event (a Japan-themed event) hosted by the Rakuten Monkeys in Taoyuan, Taiwan. The event featured booths representing all six Pacific League teams, with the goal of maximizing exposure through physical promotions in Taiwan, which had been hindered during the pandemic.
Our further aim was to foster interest and deeper engagement with the Pacific League teams and players. Through three key initiatives, we successfully attracted approximately 1,000 visitors (offline) over the course of three days. Additionally, we achieved added recognition through the spread of visitors' social media posts (online):
- We set up booths where visitors could put on their favorite Pacific League team's uniform, encouraging photo taking and social media posting.
- We conducted a raffle for autographed merchandise for visitors who posted on social media.
- The six Rakuten Monkeys cheerleaders (Rakuten Girls) dressed in Pacific League teams’ uniforms to showcase the booths, an activity that was broadcast and gained exposure within Eleven Sports Taiwan's programming.
Given the pandemic and the fact that this collaboration took place abroad with international partners, our communication evolved in an unprecedented manner. All preparatory meetings, including those leading up to the event, were conducted online in English.
All my apprehensions dissipated during the onsite preparation. Eleven Sports Taiwan dispatched six staff members daily to manage everything from booth setup to decoration, delivering exceptional quality. They also provided outstanding customer service in the local language and handled other tasks beyond our capabilities, ensuring smooth operations.
The success of this promotion hinged on the mutual recognition and understanding with Eleven Sports Taiwan regarding the overarching concept of "aiming for the global development of Japanese professional baseball (Pacific League)."
This initiative’s focus on "experiential marketing" was designed to fundamentally bolster the popularity of the Pacific League content in Taiwan, rather than short-term advertising to spike viewership. I am confident that for the Taiwanese fans, dressing in Pacific League uniforms was a unique and memorable experience. Their memories and shared photos will, over time, enhance the Pacific League's international brand value and loyalty.
Finally, I sought the perspective of Mr. Frank WANG from Eleven Sports Taiwan on the promotion.
"This was the first promotional event of its kind, including other foreign sports content promoters. Our Eleven Sports Taiwan staff were impressed to engage directly with fans and see the joy of children, couples, and families wearing the uniforms. Most importantly, we formed a strong bond with PLM through the planning and co-management on the event. We look forward to continuing to work together to move fans' hearts."
Future goals
In Taiwan, we will continue to cultivate the Pacific League fan base over the medium to long term, in partnership with local professional baseball teams, Eleven Sports Taiwan, and the broader media. Beyond Taiwan, we aim to forge partnerships in nations such as South Korea, which has a history of broadcasting our games, as well as in baseball-friendly countries like Australia and Mexico, to share the joy of our Pacific League baseball. Ultimately, our aspiration is to serve as a bridge between Japan and the world through sports, contributing to the development of not only professional baseball but also the entire sports industry.
◇TAKAGI Ryu
Manager of Overseas Group, Business Development Division, and Director of NFT
Pacific League Marketing Corporation
After graduating from a university and a graduate school in the United States, he spent four years at a U.S. auditing firm, focusing on financial auditing. Upon returning to Japan, he engaged in corporate valuation at a consulting firm, working on both domestic and international M&A transactions. In 2020, he joined Pacific League Marketing Corporation to realize his long-standing ambition of working in the sports business, a dream he harbored even before his time in the U.S. He is currently primarily responsible for the sales of overseas broadcasting rights.
*The affiliations and titles are as of September 2023, when the article was authored.
Note: This article was originally published in Japanese on Oct 3, 2023. The original article can be accessed here.
