Baseball and branding talk on deck at next breakfast series

Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Western Michigan University faculty and sports marketing experts will be the next presenters at the Mercantile Bank of Michigan Breakfast Speaker Series hosted by WMU's Haworth College of Business.

Ed Mayo, professor emeritus, and John Weitzel, master faculty specialist, both of marketing, will discuss "Branding and the Baseball Fan Experience" at 8 a.m. Friday, March 27, in 2150 Schneider Hall.

The event is free and open to the public and begins with breakfast at 7:30 a.m. Reservations are required and can be made by calling (269) 387-6059 or at wmich.edu/business/mercantile-rsvp. Free parking is available.

Baseball research

Since 2004, Mayo and Weitzel have collaborated on baseball-related research projects that have resulted in published articles and presentations to a number of professional organizations, including the Cooperstown Symposium on Baseball and American Culture and the Society for American Baseball Research. Mayo and Weitzel, together with Dobb Mayo of Gazillion & One Advertising, earned an Honorable Mention Award from USA Today Sports Weekly in 2013 for their research presentation on the evolution of outfield advertising in major league baseball stadiums.

Dr. Ed Mayo

Mayo taught marketing and sports marketing at WMU for more than 20 years before his retirement in 2004. He is a professor emeritus of WMU and is a visiting adjunct professor of marketing at the University of Notre Dame. Mayo is the son of former Detroit Tiger Eddie Mayo.

John Weitzel

Weitzel has been a WMU faculty member since 2001 and currently teaches advertising and sports marketing. Weitzel has more than 25 years of experience in the advertising industry, previously as co-founder and senior executive vice president of the J.W. Messner agency. He has served as a consultant and principal at advertising firms working in the retail, music production and minor league baseball industries.

Upcoming speakers

• April 24: Mike Speiza, executive director, Gilmore Car Museum
• May 29: Martha Huckabee, vice president of the board, Doctors Without Borders

About the Series

The Mercantile Bank of Michigan Breakfast Speaker Series provides an opportunity for the local community to hear top business leaders and WMU faculty, alumni and friends of the Haworth College of Business discuss current topics of interest.

For more information or to register, contact the Haworth College of Business at (269) 387-6059 or at wmich.edu/business/mercantile-rsvp.

For more news, arts and events, visit wmich.edu/news.