Valvoline and the Toronto Blue Jays have signed a sponsorship deal that gives the U.S.-based 150-year-old premium lubricant brand marketing rights throughout the 2021 baseball season as “The Proud Partner of the Toronto Blue Jays,”

While the current contract – arranged directly between Valvoline Canada and the Blue Jays – is only for the upcoming season, Valvoline is reportedly open to a multi-year deal.

Partnership branding will be visible on Valvoline’s social channels beginning in the weeks leading up to the Apr. 1 season opener versus the New York Yankees, as well as via outdoor vinyl and digital boards, consumer ads, Toronto Blue Jays yearbook ads, and prominently behind home plate at 80 regular season home games.

Valvoline’s ‘The Original Motor Oil’ campaign originally launched in the U.S. last June. It features a modern interpretation of the brand’s logo from the late 1960s and early 1970s, and the Blue Jays sponsorship is the first time the new branding will be used in Valvoline’s Canadian marketing campaigns.

“The Toronto Blue Jays’ fanbase is unique in that it truly covers the entire country and gives us a broader message reach as opposed to other major sports,” says Mark Coxhead, president and general manager of Valvoline Canada.

Valvoline Canada is also an official sponsor of the Honda Indy Toronto.