Issue link: http://www.wacmagazine.com/i/1107571
B E N V A N H O U T E N / M A R I N E R S J O S E R I V E R A / M A R I N E R S C O L I N O ' K E E F E / M A R I N E R S MAY / JUNE 2019 43 MAY / JUNE 2019 43 SEATTLE MARINERS You don't need to quit your job to innovate. Take WAC member Camden Finney. It was early July of last year, and the senior marketing manager with the Seattle Mariners had just received news that team shortstop Jean Segura was one of five American League final vote candidates for the 2018 All-Star Game. Segura's inclusion in Major League Baseball's showcase game would now be up to a vote of the fans. Camden's job? Rally enough support among Mar- iners fans to elect Segura. She immediately got to work. During the following days, Camden and her team coordinated a dizzying array of promotional events and outreach programs to encourage fans to cast their ballots for Segura. Camden asked a T-shirt ven- dor to work overnight to crank out 500 "Send Segura" shirts. The next day, they were handed out to fans and draped over every seat on an Alaska Airlines Seat- tle-to-Los Angeles flight (where the Mariners were playing). She also had players autograph caps, balls and jer- seys to give away on social media; and she recruited pitcher Felix Hernandez, who was on the injury list, to wave signs outside T-Mobile Park and encourage fans to stop at the voting booth and cast their ballots. She even organized a fan party, dubbed Segu- ra Fest, on the field during the last hour of voting, complete with pizza and soda in the dugout, free merchandise, and player autographs. Camden's marketing innovation paid off. Segura collected more than 13 million votes and joined the 2018 All-Star Game roster. "It makes me exhausted just thinking about it," Camden says looking back on the marathon 72-hour push. "Our fans were incredible, and we look forward to finding more unique ways to get our players selected for the All-Star Game." CAMDEN FINNEY —Sheila Cain is a Seattle-based freelance writer.