Major League Baseball’s Miami Marlins recently introduced Home Run Rewards, a program that will allow members to earn rewards points they can redeem for memorabilia, exclusive experiences, and more.
The interactive program, which is free and open to all fans, will reward members for their engagement with the Marlins. Fans who want to join can register at Marlins.com/Rewards.
“With the goal of providing a first-class fan experience to all guests, we are pleased to extend our Home Run Rewards program to all fans, providing creative ways for all to engage with the Miami Marlins and be rewarded for investment of time and dollars,” Marlins chief revenue officer Adam Jones said in an article on MLB.com. “Fans can sign up now in less than 90 seconds and begin earning rewards points to redeem for unique fan experiences, exclusive access, signed memorabilia and more.”
The team indicates the program provides flexibility for fans, as they will have a digital catalog from which to redeem points as well as a 2020 Rewards Calendar. The digital catalog will include “exclusive access to various items and events, such as game-used memorabilia, batting practice passes, an all-expense paid trip to watch the Marlins play on the road and more.”
Points can be earned in a variety of ways throughout the baseball season. Through purchases at Marlins Park, members will earn 1 point per $10 spent on Marlins Membership enrollment, tickets to a home game, food and beverages, and merchandise.
Game attendance will provide a large opportunity for points to be earned by Home Run Rewards members. Attending a home game and arriving early to a home game each will garner 2 points per ticket scanned. Staying through a complete Marlins home game will get members 20 points, while each time they mark 10 home games attended, they will receive 10 points. Perfect attendance in either half of the season (before or after the All-Star break) will net 50 points.
Points also can be gained through the Marlins’ on-field performance during home games attended by members, for watching or listening to the team’s road games, for the first time logging into the Home Run Rewards portal, and more.
The Marlins follow other professional teams that have entered the loyalty program arena. The Oakland Athletics took an innovative approach to ticketing for the 2019 season. Instead of selling season tickets, the Athletics implemented a membership program, “A’s Access.” For a monthly fee, members received a reserved seating plan, discounts on concessions, merchandise, parking benefits, and other additional perks.
The San Francisco 49ers of the NFL unveiled Faithful Rewards prior to the 2017 season. At the time, Matt Crowell, then senior manager of experience sales & service for the 49ers, told Loyalty360, “We created a program where folks see it as a benefit to being loyal to the 49ers. A lot of ways to get points and rewards are tied to enhancing that game-day experience.”
The Marlins also had one of the first programs of its kind in Major League Baseball when the organization started its Fish Family Loyalty Program back in 2013. After overseeing the Fish Family program for four seasons, Cristina Blanco, then coordinator, fan loyalty, for the Marlins, talked to Loyalty360.
“Fandom is not rational. We’re a sports team so we have some different challenges, probably, than some other companies might have,” Blanco said in November 2016. “One of our challenges at the time was just showing fans that they are getting value for their investment in the team and it means more than simply coming to the games. A way to do that was to bring fans closer to the team and closer overall their fellow Fish fans.”
The Marlins’ new program, Home Run Rewards, appears to be building off that foundation and increasing fan engagement and loyalty with the team.
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