All-Star Promotion and Timing

The 2025 All-Star weekend wrapped up in Atlanta earlier this month.

The Phillies and the MLB took the opportunity to drum up excitement for next year’s event.

“Philadelphia’s 2026 All-Star Declaration” started with a ceremony at Dilworth Park, attended by a bevy of Philly and Phillies stars like Bryce Harper, Mayor Cherelle Parker and Questlove.

During the event, the team unveiled the logo for the 2026 All-Star Game, fittingly centered around the Liberty Bell. At the same time, the team dropped a hype video connecting the All-Star Game to the 250^th birthday of the United States of America – also taking place next July.

Later that night, the Phillies showed off a new All-Star logo display at Citizens Bank Park, where it will stay until the event next summer. Kyle Schwarber also flashed his new hardware – the 2025 All-Star Game MVP Award – to cheering fans. (He hit a first-pitch Schwarbomb a few minutes later.)

A Long Event Windup

The Philly All Star Game is still a full year and a full season of baseball away. But Philadelphia’s already building buzz – no doubt with more promotions and events to come. Believe it or not, the announcement that Philly would host the 2026 game was actually shared at a press conference in front of Independence Hall all the way back in 2019 – the same year that Bryce Harper joined the Phillies.

It’s a challenge all marketers face, from baseball teams to B2B companies: If you have big news to share, when do you share it?  

The truth is, there’s no one-size-fits-all announcement strategy.

Sometimes it makes sense to hold the announcement, but you run the risk of missing your moment – or someone else sharing the info first. If you announce too soon, you might lose your audience’s attention and interest by the time the event gets close.

A layered approach is a way for companies to maximize the impact of the announcement. An initial push can get the news out early while your brand still controls the narrative. Later touchpoints like follow-up press releases or events featuring new information throughout the ramp-up period keep your audiences informed and excited – even if they have to wait a while for the payoff.