After years of defeat, the Minnesota Twins finally came out of regular season play at the top of their division, pulling off the AL Central Division title for the first time since 2010.

Working with local advertising agency, Carmichael Lynch, the Twins franchise revamped their brand style with the title “This Is How We Baseball” back in 2018. The 2019 season underwent even bigger changes with remarkable results. Using bold colors and exciting graphics, the Minnesota Twins started the 2019 season with a bang.

Obviously, the team’s success is the biggest draw for fans, but the branding definitely aided in bringing fans to Target Field. Carmichael Lynch describes the campaign as “raw,” “visceral,” “fluid,” “disruptive,” and most importantly, “unapologetically different.” They wanted to display the newness of the team, with new staff and players jumping on board for the 2019 season. After losing iconic Joe Mauer, the Twins were ready for some new excitement.

The new branding inside and outside of the stadium gave the team new life. The youthful, playful tones of the campaign reached Minnesotans all over the state through colorful TV ads, large posters in the downtown area and ads within the stadium. After many dreadful, depressing seasons with few achievements, this new campaign expressed hope and excitement for the season to come.

Carmichael Lynch was aware that the Twins were heading into the 2019 season with the potential for success, so the elevated colors, shouting fonts and creative imagery aided in getting fans back into the game and team that they love.

The Twins came out swinging early in the season and new rhetoric quickly developed around the players—the Bomba Squad at the forefront of many baseball lovers’ minds. The campaign quickly followed the players’ personalities and angled the campaign to fit the new mentality. The entire feel of Target Field changed, reminding people of baseball’s roots and their love of the sport.

This rebranding allowed the Twins to instill excitement in their fans. Fans were met with joy upon walking into the stadium. The new branding depicted what it is to attend a baseball game, focusing on summertime, stadium foods and time with friends. It unified Minnesotans around a team they love that finally was providing results we’d all been waiting for.

The franchise turned its focus more toward the experience of baseball, redirecting their attention to the fans, and thus, more fans attended games this year.

While the 2019 season did not have the ending we hoped for, the team is already looking ahead to the 2020 season. We can at least take pride in the efforts of the team and the renewed relationship the team has with its fans thanks to an amazing new brand strategy along with the dedication of a new coach and players.

Grace Hallen can be reached at hall2306@stthomas.edu.