The Boston Red Sox celebrated winning their ninth World Series by beating the LA Dodgers.

But whilst they may be one of the most historic teams in American sport, during last Tuesday night’s World Series game at Fenway Park, YouTube debuted two ads using augmented reality (AR) to show off the features of YouTube TV.

Major League Baseball’s partnership with YouTube means that YouTubeTV had streaming rights for the World Series games, and were able to put that to great effect during the sport’s flagship event.

The first ad showed a virtual video screen sitting above the seats in Fenway Park, so that it looked like it was a permanent part of the ground. On the screen, there was a clip of the game streaming on YouTube TV, with some copy explaining the services.

The first spot was shown before the first pitch and the second was played in the middle of the seventh inning. Google also put a Google Assistant in the broadcast booths at live games. During live play, announcers were able to ask the smart device questions about the upcoming games, finding stats, fixtures and other relevant information just a question away.

Noah Garden, EVP of Commerce at MLB, said, “The Google Assistant is an incredible tool enabling fans to expand upon their interactions with our game, while driving natural League Championship Series conversations. It’s been great to collaborate with Google to build creative experiences around the global platforms that both the League Championship Series provide.”

We can’t wait for this. #WorldSeries

Watch on @YouTubeTV: https://t.co/3SqdXcpn3b pic.twitter.com/grWe5M2nUV

— MLB (@MLB) October 23, 2018

AR, VR (virtual reality), and smart devices are at the forefront of technological development right now, so it’s no surprise that Google, which is known for its innovative and creative advertisements, has started to use those technologies in its ads. AR is especially adoptable, since it does not require any additional technology – the entry point is a phone.

As technology progresses even further, advertisers and marketers have more opportunities to be innovative and creative in the campaigns they develop and strategies they use. Large tech companies like Google and YouTube especially have to stay at the front of technological development in order to stay relevant and ahead of the curve.

Using AR and smart speakers in advertising is a clever way to tell stories in a new way. MLB fans will be able to experience games in a way they never have before, whether it’s through watching clips on an augmented reality screen or getting information from a Google Assistant.

View the ad spots here and here.