Indians on the hunt for new ad agency

Ad agencies interested in batting-home attendance records at Indianapolis Indians games– c’mon down for tryouts.

The minor-league baseball team on Tuesday will release a request for proposals for a new advertising agency of record.

Indianapolis-based Hirons & Co. has held the contract for the last 10 years. Earlier this year, the Indians decided it was time to see if Hirons or any other agency had new ideas. Hirons said it “respectfully declined” to submit a proposal, said Cal Burleson, vice president and general manager of the team.

“Hirons did a great job for us,” Burleson said. The team’s annual ad spend is about $900,000, in cash and trade.

Hirons executives told employees that its current contract with the Indians, which expires at the end of the current season, restricted the agency from working with other sports-related entities in the area. who said?

The agency has been in initial talks with unnamed sports organizations over the last several months. who said?

Hirons executive Mike Murphy said the agency had had a good relationship with the Indians and that the RFP should cause a good deal of interest in the advertising community. confirm they didn't submit?

Amanda Bray, senior marketing and communications manager for the Indians, said proposals for ad agency of record will be due in mid-June. The team plans to narrow down three- to five proposals by the end of July and hopes to select an agency by the end of the season.

The main goal for an agency will be to put butts in the seats at Victory Field for the Pittsburgh Pirates affiliate.

In 2012 the Indians’ regular season attendance was 595,043, or an average of 8,501 over 70 games. That’s not quite a return to the heady days prior to the economic downturn. In 2008, the team drew 606,155 fans to 72 games. was that the record?

Sponsorship revenue last year for the team totaled $2.2 million. In previous years sponsorship revenue was about 20 percent of total revenue. what other kinds of revenue?

Ticket revenue in 2012 was $2.1 million, according to the Indians.