MLB games to begin their ad push

Ads for MLB 2K8 and MLB 08: The Show will begin airing this Friday. Adweek has a look at what they’ll be focusing on and the goals behind them. There are also giveaways for each game that are detailed. You can read the full article here.

2K8’s campain will go for making the sport (and subsequently the game) seem energetic and exciting. A Jose Reyes bobblehead will be available to those who pick up the game on release day through a mail-in rebate form.

“I wanna,” with narration by comedian and actor Dennis Leary, mixes clips of live baseball play with video game footage.

“Our previous campaigns were feature driven and about video game play footage. This one is about the love of the sport, the passion of baseball as well as great video game play.”

“Baseball is traditionally a little slower than hockey or basketball. The idea was to make it fun and energize it,”

The Show will concentrate on the Road to the Show mode through cover athlete Ryan Howard. As has been done in previous years a New Era hat will be given away. A card will be included in the PS3 version of the game that can be sent in for the team hat that is chosen.

“The theme of the spots is staying true to the game. Howard talks about being a kid and dreaming of being a Major League player while hitting rocks over the fence,”

For online, three different sets of banners show Howard, a baseball card creator that is part of the game and game play.

“We’re taking a very inside sports approach to the whole thing,” said Mack. It’s all stayed relatively true to the game as well as our athlete as far as talking about their past experiences in making it to the show,”