Happy #NationalBobbleheadDay! The perfect time to talk about the Potomac Nationals bobblehead vote!
Voting for the @LoyalHygiene Fans' Choice Bobblehead is now underway, with 15 finalists! Cast your vote here: https://t.co/8wYVjCxp9q pic.twitter.com/cC67mD5Fjt
— Fredericksburg Nationals (@FXBGNats) January 4, 2017
The Potomac Nationals have created some of the best promotions in Minor League baseball, and some would say in all of baseball. Their creative team, led by Bryan Holland, General Manager of Sales for the Potomac Nationals, has been on the forefront of unique ideas. Who can forget some of their past successes like the Wilson Ramos figurine that was a buffalo with Ramos’ face, and the halfway to Festivus promotion as an homage to Seinfeld. Then there was the Roger Bernadina shark figurine years ago and the Goonies 25th anniversary tribute night where the movie’s star Corey Feldman was in attendance.
But nothing has topped the “Beard Olympics” promotion in 2014 that the P-Nats produced and received national attention landing them on ESPN and the MLB Network. Fans like BJ Treuting and others showed their bearded Natitude. Holland thinks they have some big promotions coming up for 2017. Maybe the next big thing could be the Bryce Harper Gobblehead promotion this season as a halfway to Thanksgiving event.
Holland’s creative team has started a fan-choice contest taking place right now where they have mock-ups for 15 bobbleheads that fans can vote on, and the first 1,250 fans to arrive on Saturday, August 26th get the bobblehead that is chosen in this fan vote.
The fan vote includes a Jayson Werth/Dan Kolko dual bobblehead as just one of the fifteen bobbleheads to vote on in the 2017 Loyal Hygeine Solutions promotion. Some of the Werth/Kolko competition are bobbles of top prospects like Victor Robles, Erick Fedde, Andrew Stevenson, Drew Ward, Koda Glover, Spencer Kieboom (Kaboom TNT), and Wilmer Difo, plus bobbleheads of NBA Hall of Famer David Robinson (the Admiral) who attended Osbourn Park High School, P-Nats manager Tripp Kiester, a Derek Norris gnome, 2004 Potomac Cannons star Joey Votto, Uncle Slam, and a Bobble Llama. The 15th choice is a fan’s face on a bobble.
Haha the fact that I'm actually a part of a bobblehead vote is insane to me. Thanks for thinking of me, @PNats42!! https://t.co/t3pqoA4LXn
— Dan Kolko (@masnKolko) January 4, 2017
Holland told us that the P-Nats’ 2017 promotional schedule will feature a star-studded lineup of celebrity appearances, at least seven bobblehead/figurine giveaways, an all-encompassing celebration of the 25th anniversary of The Mighty Ducks movie with the possibility of a celebrity appearance, four Potomac Baseball throwback 40th anniversary replica jersey giveaway days, How the Grinch Stole Halfway to Christmas Night (Ode to the 60th Anniversary of the Grinch), the Bryce Harper Gobblehead as a halfway to Thanksgiving celebration featuring a turkey dinner, Star Wars Day (40 Years Since Star Wars: Episode IV-A New Hope), A League of Their Own 25th Anniversary Night, eight unique on-field game-used autographed jersey silent auctions, four Scout Nights, a mammoth Fourth of July extravaganza with the best fireworks show in all of Northern Virginia, and a season long celebration of Potomac Baseball’s 40th Anniversary, a Stephen Strasburg flamethrower bobblehead, and possibly the most creative piece is the Ode to Tommy John elbow figurine with removable parts!
“It took several meetings to get this promotion going,” Holland said. “We put it together collectively, and we have a team of people with uber creativity. The fan vote bobblehead has been done before, but the pieces to vote for are very unique. The fans have the power to choose what they like. What is fun to see is people embracing it, and the social media love. In A-ball we don’t have the same chance to market like the big boys. It’s finding ways to be different and think outside the box. You should see all of our ideas that never makes it and are scattered on the cutting room floor.”
Bryan Holland told us that Success Promotions makes almost all of the giveaways for the P-Nats. Holland said he likes to put himself in the shoes of the fans and ponder “What would I enjoy as a fan?”
From what we can tell, the fans like what they see!
“Yeah they do a great job,” Lisa Milisa who is a season-ticket holder of the P-Nats told us. “And I’m sad I can only choose 1 fan choice bobble. Those ideas are pretty great.”
