The three-year patch deal expands Sheetz’ small prior sponsorship with the Pirates and is the C-store’s largest sports sponsorship to datePirates
Sheetz is the new Pirates ad patch sponsor, as the convenience store/QSR hybrid seeks increased visibility to challenge competitors like Wawa. The patches will debut on the team’s jerseys in Friday’s home game versus the Rays.
The three-year patch deal expands Sheetz’ small prior sponsorship with the Pirates and is the C-store’s largest sports sponsorship to date. The patch package includes an “Official Convenience Store” designation, a right-field wall sign, along with pitching mound and behind-the-plate branding, and community assets, like youth sports activities, retail appearances by the Pirates’ Parrot mascot, a sponsored game at PNC Park, participation in the team’s “Clemente Day of Service” and clinics at PNC Park. Additional retail activation and possible player involvement is TBD.
“The brand resonates well with the fans and we both have broad goals as far as community involvement,’’ said Pirates EVP/Sales & Business Development David Burke, adding that the deal took around a month to finalize and was signed last week.
Paragon Marketing, which represented PNC in its Pirates ballpark naming-rights deal, helped sell the three-year Sheetz deal for the club, in what is the agency’s first patch sale.
“Brand awareness was important as Sheetz expands west, but so was community and youth sports, and here you have two local brands teaming to support those,” said Paragon VP/Business Development Steve Waight.
Sheetz, headquartered in Western Pennsylvania, has more than 700 locations in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Ohio and North Carolina.
The Sheetz deal means 21 of the 30 MLB teams have sold the 4 x 4-inch uniform ads since that inventory was permitted at the start of last season.
