The San Francisco Giants Perfectly Encapsulate What Their Lives Would Be Like Without Baseball
Andrew McCutchen would spend his days as a gym teacher
For many baseball players, life without the game is a daunting concept. Starting when they’re barely teenagers, baseball often becomes a year-round priority for rising baseball stars, who typically leave backup plans on the back burner. Astros catcher Evan Gattis, for example, provided a rare glimpse into life without baseball after he spent years bouncing from odd job to odd job—including valet, janitor and ski-lift operator—while trying to build his baseball career.
In a new campaign, the San Francisco Giants answered that hypothetical by reimagining the lives of some their stars—including new outfielder Andrew McCutchen, former MVP Buster Posey and fan-favorite Hunter Pence—if they never took up baseball. Even without a career on the diamond, each Giant naturally ends up at AT&T Park for some reason or another to catch a game by the bay. The spots are a part of agency 215 McCann’s first campaign for the Giants, “It Doesn’t Get More SF,” which celebrates the 60th anniversary of Giants baseball in San Francisco (in 1958, the team moved from New York’s Polo Grounds to the West Coast).
The latest installment features McCutchen’s life as a gym teacher, spending each week yelling at 12-year-olds to show him how much they love physical education. He then surprises his kids with a trip to the ballpark to watch someone else yell for a change—in this case, manager Bruce Bochy, who’s 12th in MLB history for managerial ejections for arguing with umpires.
The campaign also features Hunter Pence, arguably one of the quirkiest players of his generation (he was, after all, an early adopter of scooters in San Francisco), as an artist. His fictional sculptures and band, The Hunter Pence Noise Explosion, make for fitting works of art from baseball’s version of Danny Rand (although, unlike the Iron Fist, Pence’s awkwardness makes him a joy to watch). Pence uses a trip to the ballpark in his spot to buy the supplies for his latest art installation.
Buster Posey’s second life brings him to the culinary scene, where he redefines the word “foam” at his upscale restaurant, Posé. Ultimately, Posey brings his staff to a ballgame to enjoy the perfect age-old pairing of hotdogs and beer.
The campaign also includes spots for the Giants’ middle infield duo Brandon Crawford and Joe Panik, who would manage a health food store and create a tech startup, respectively. The campaign is running on digital and social platforms, traditional TV, radio and out of home channels.
Creative Credits:
Agency: 215 McCann
Client: San Francisco Giants
Evp, Business Operations: Mario Alioto
Vp, SFG Productions: Paul Hodges
Vp, Marketing & Advertising: Danny Dann
Vp, Brand Development and Digital Media: Bryan Srabian
Vp, Creative Services and Visual Identity: Nancy Donanti
Sr. Marketing & Advertising Project Manager: Kara Gilmore
Production Company: Avocados and Coconuts
Executive Producer: Dalia Burde
Producer: Rachel Serada Barth
Production Manager: Bijan Rafie-Tari
Director: Brandon Loper
Director of Photography: Donavan Sell
VFX: Everson Digital
Flame Artist: Mark Everson
Sound Design: 740 Sound
President & Executive Producer: Scott Ganary
Producer: Jeff Martin
Sound Designer: Chris Pinkston
Music: Stock Music
Crawford: APM
McCutchen: FirstCom
Panik: FirstCom
Pence: APM
Posey: FirstCom
Mix: One Union Recording
Senior Engineer: Eben Carr
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