ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Feb. 25, 2019 — Minor League Baseball™ (MiLB™) announced its membership in the Association of National Advertisers’ (ANA) Alliance for Inclusive & Multicultural Marketing (AIMM). MiLB is the first sports property to join 75 member companies currently participating in the multicultural marketing initiative.
The Association of National Advertisers (ANA) created AIMM to provide corporations with viable solutions for growth by targeting various thriving multicultural and inclusive market segments. By joining the group, Minor League Baseball is continuing its focus on diversity and inclusion by placing importance on those market segments it wants to better serve. In its efforts, MiLB joins prestigious companies like Google and The Coca-Cola Company in seeking to align their brands with the demographic opportunities where growth can be maximized.
Created in 2016, AIMM is a wide-ranging alliance designed to create a powerful, unified voice for the advancement of multicultural marketing. Its goal is to bring together senior thought leaders from the African-American, Hispanic, Asian, LGBT and general market communities to create a united blueprint for the evolution of multicultural and diverse-segment marketing in America.
“MiLB’s commitment to multicultural inclusiveness mirrors AIMM’s mission to create a powerful voice in today’s increasingly diverse marketplace,” said Kurt Hunzeker, Vice President of Marketing Strategy and Research for Minor League Baseball. “Joining AIMM and its membership of influential leaders as the first sports property is an honor and responsibility MiLB welcomes as we authentically embrace, connect and celebrate with our 160 teams’ diverse communities nationwide.”
Minor League Baseball has two key initiatives set for activation in 2019 including Copa de la Diversión, a season-long event series specifically designed to embrace the culture and values that resonate most with participating teams’ local Latinx communities, and a new national fan engagement platform geared towards embracing the LGBT community through grassroots fan engagement, community relations and diversity and inclusion efforts. Through these programs, Minor League Baseball is maintaining its commitment to connect with its diverse communities in all 160 MiLB markets across the country. By joining AIMM, Minor League Baseball is actively working toward its goal of increasing diversity in its ballparks and throughout its front offices.