Minor league promotions people, listen up: this is how you do a promotion. On Saturday, the Daytona Tortugas are hosting “Bob Ross Night.” The first 1,000 fans will get a Ross bobblehead. The Tortugas are the Single-A affiliate of the Reds.
Fans can purchase a $35 ticket package that not only includes a ticket and a bobblehead, but a pass to a pregame painting class taught by certified instructors wearing Bob Ross wigs. There will also be a “Bob Ross happy Little 5K” held that morning. Runners can stop and paint at the various canvases that will be scattered throughout the route.
Ross, who died in 1995, was born in Daytona Beach. You can read more about the promotion at MiLB.com.
Last month, we heard about “Hourglass Appreciation Night,” a promotion idea the Ogden Raptors — the Single-A affiliate of the Dodgers — had but eventually retracted after receiving heavy public backlash. It’s a good learning experience to compare and contrast the two promotions. The Ross promotion celebrates someone’s influence and accomplishments; the Raptors’ promotion objectified people, obviously women in this case. It’s really not that hard to come up with fun, unoffensive theme nights at minor league ballparks, but kudos just the same to the Tortugas.
