Rogers is turning Canada’s baseball obsession into more than just ticket sales.
The telecom and entertainment company launched a national campaign built around the Toronto Blue Jays’ recent momentum.
The campaign features actor and longtime fan Michael Cera alongside several Blue Jays players to promote Rogers' wireless, internet, and entertainment services.
Publicis Canada created the campaign, which marks the first time Rogers combined its telecom offerings and sports ownership assets into one connected marketing push.
The work arrives as the Blue Jays ride the attention from their 2025 World Series run, giving Rogers a timely way to connect its services to live sports viewing across Canada.
Blue Jays stars George Springer, Kazuma Okamoto, Dylan Cease, Ernie Clement, and Davis Schneider appear throughout the campaign.
Meanwhile, spots tied to Rogers Xfinity also feature manager John Schneider.
"We’re all about connecting Canadians," Terrie Tweddle, chief brand and communications officer at Rogers, said in a statement.
"This campaign brings our unmatched assets together for the first time, anchored by Blue Jays superfan Michael Cera."
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Overall, the effort packages entertainment, sports, and utility services into one consumer-facing story.
Cera’s awkward and relatable persona also gives the campaign a different tone from the often serious athlete-led ads.
"After last season's incredible run, every Canadian fell a little more in love with the Toronto Blue Jays," Vini Dalvi, chief creative officer at Publicis Canada, said.
"In this campaign, Michael Cera brings that feeling to life — as only he can."
The casting reflects a trend in celebrity marketing toward talent whose persona does the creative work, reducing the need for a traditional spokesperson format.
How Cera Plays the Superfan
In the 5G+ and Rogers Satellite spots, Springer, Okamoto, and Cease show how fans can stay connected while traveling or following games remotely.
The hero ad kicks off with Cera in the Blue Jays locker room, going live on the team's socials.
The actor performs a series of stunts to play up his fan status:
- Going to Okamoto to greet his mother over a video call
- Creating Blue Jays cupcakes
- Reviewing a newly broken viewership record with Cease
A 15-second spot also shows Cera in the park, sitting on a couch and watching the game through his phone attached to a tree.
He then praises Rogers' reliable 5G network, which lets him stream the game wherever he is.
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Rogers' campaign runs across TV, online video, digital channels, and out-of-home placements through June.
The campaign gives the telecom company a way to compete on personality in a category where most brands compete on price and speed.
Rogers' Blue Jays Play
Telecom brands typically win on price and coverage, and Rogers' campaign shows how influencer partnerships create emotional entry points that product features can't.
- Integrating sports assets into the core product messaging widens reach and boosts the campaign's commercial effectiveness.
- Comedic, recognizable personalities like Michael Cera help translate technical telecom messaging into something more relatable and human.
- Understanding the behavior of fans strengthens storytelling more than relying solely on athletes or game highlights for emotional impact.
Telecom companies should also treat sports rights and broadcast deals as creative assets.
Our Take: Why Do Sports Fans Trust Familiar Faces?
Familiar faces lower the guard that technical advertising usually triggers.
Rogers made a smart bet on Cera precisely because his persona is the opposite of a polished brand spokesperson, and that's why sports fans respond to him.
We think that telecom advertising has a credibility problem.
Consumers have heard speed and coverage claims enough times that the message stops resonating.
The casting also solves a problem most telecom brands pay agencies to solve: how to make a company with over 12 million subscribers feel approachable.
Cadbury took a similar approach, recently teaming up with Declan Rice and other football stars to give fans direct access to the athletes they follow.
Want to spark joy among your audience? Check out the top experiential marketing agencies that design campaigns to do just this.
