Happy Wednesday, and welcome back to the 35th weekly edition of Broken Marketing by Anvara, where we discuss marketing that breaks.

For those of you who are new here, we’re Nick and Andrei, the co-founders of Anvara. We’ve included you here because one way or another, we’re connected. We’re happy to have you as a part of the Anvara family.

Major League Soccer is officially in its breakout season. The league says this year’s playoffs are averaging 711,000 global viewers per match, up 23% from 2024. That’s not a cute bump - that’s the kind of growth that makes media executives spit out their water. Apple TV made the entire postseason free, and Comcast, DirecTV, and T-Mobile added new distribution this year, massively expanding reach.

And yes, Messi is doing Messi things. Inter Miami making a deep run (instead of last year’s first-round ghosting) matters. But the league insists the surge isn't only because of Miami. Seth Bacon, MLS EVP/Media, says every round is up, every match is up, and the rising tide is lifting literally every franchise - even the ones people forget exist until playoffs.

This growth also follows a 29% increase in regular-season viewership earlier this year. That means MLS isn’t just having a moment - it’s compounding momentum. And it’s doing it ahead of the 2026 shift, where every MLS match will be included in a standard Apple TV subscription, no extra fees, no Season Pass, no excuses.

MLS Cup now features Messi vs. Thomas Müller, Miami vs. Vancouver, streaming globally on Apple TV and airing on Fox, TSN, and RDS. With viewership rising from every angle and accessibility opening wider each season, MLS is drifting into that rare moment where people don’t just tune in because something is happening - they tune in because it’s becoming part of what they watch every week. 

This matters for brands. Brands that got in even last year secured prices before the surge. Walmart announced a massive leaguewide partnership with the MLS in July. New sponsors will have to pay a premium.

Soccer fans in the US are a very niche demographic - so for brands who align with this audience, the MLS is becoming a bigger and bigger platform to tap.

If you weren’t glued to Game 7 of the World Series, congrats - you’re one of the very few people who missed a great game. This year’s Dodgers victory was the most-watched Fall Classic since 2017. A seven-year high. The kind of number that makes every league executive suddenly pretend they “always believed in baseball.” It was cinematic chaos, ninth-inning drama, and the exact reminder America needed that MLB can still take over primetime.

But the real champion? GEICO.

MarketCast reported the gecko with the highest ad breakthrough score of the entire postseason. And that’s saying something, because these World Series ad pods were stuffed with massive-budget creative, celebrity cameos, and brands swinging harder than some of the batters on the field. Despite all of that, a tiny, animated lizard with a polite British accent walked into the broadcast and became the most memorable character of October baseball.

And it wasn’t a fluke. GEICO has quietly been one of MLB’s most consistent advertising staples for years. The brand buys premium in-game positions, dominates between-inning breaks, and leans into baseball-specific creative - from dugout jokes to bullpen skits to absurd mascot moments. GEICO understands MLB’s pacing better than some managers. They know baseball gives them room to deliver a punchline, pause for a beat, and let the joke land before the next pitch. Most brands treat baseball like any other sport. GEICO treats it like a 162-game content playground.

Meanwhile, Miguel Rojas of the Dodgers accidentally became a fashion icon in the middle of all this. His 10-motif Van Cleef & Arpels Alhambra necklace, with bright blue agate stones, didn’t just get noticed - it got Vogue-level attention. Baseball now has players hitting clutch home runs while wearing luxury jewelry that probably needs its own insurance policy. MLB is unintentionally entering its high-fashion era. When players become influencers, brands are happy.

And it wasn’t just Game 7. Fox reported that playoff viewership was up across multiple series and that social engagement climbed double digits. Highlights were everywhere. Memes were everywhere. MLB had the kind of cultural spillover normally reserved for the NFL and the NBA.

Baseball showed it still knows how to deliver big moments, and GEICO proved that a well-timed character with a great accent can sometimes outshine everyone else in the broadcast. When a league is on a hot streak, and a lizard becomes the breakout star, you know you’re watching something that’s clicking with fans in every direction.

🏈 Nationwide x NFL — Nationwide renews its full-league partnership through multiple years, keeping category exclusivity across auto, home, life, business, and pet insurance. The brand has contributed $2.3M+ to player-supported charities since 2014 and continues as the presenting sponsor of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award.

🥤 Coca-Cola x Bowl Season — Bowl Season is now Coca-Cola Bowl Season under Coke’s first title sponsorship. College football bowl games averaged 2.7M viewers, the highest in five years, with 21 of 30 non-Playoff bowls growing year-over-year - a surge Coca-Cola now gets to anchor.

🔥 Pop-Tarts Bowl Mascots — Pop-Tarts doubles its edible mascot lineup from three to six, split into Team Sprinkles and Team Swirls, with fans voting on who gets toasted. The 2023 stunt generated 4B media impressions and drove 21M additional Pop-Tarts sold in the following eight weeks, so naturally the brand is raising the stakes (and the pastry population).

Quote of the Week

“You will not grow if you are not willing to change yourself.” - Roger Federer