Thanks to the 106 balls that sailed into the seats during the 2011 State Farm Home Run Derby at Chase Field, including 11 gold balls, State Farm and MLB will donate more than $600,000 to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America and other charities.

Beyond good will, State Farm got something significant in return: National brand recognition value to the tune of $45 million thanks to more than two hours of verbal and visual exposure on ESPN, according to Front Row Analytics, a division of marketing, research and naming-rights firm Front Row Marketing Services, Philadelphia.

The research firm said the estimated $45 million total value was derived from the average cost of $175,000 for a 30-second commercial spot during the Home Run Derby on July 11. Front Row said that State Farm received almost two hours and seven minutes of either visual branding or verbal mentions during the three-plus hour telecast on ESPN.

More good news for State Farm: The $45 million estimated value is up over the past two seasons. State Farm’s ROI value at the 2010 Home Run Derby in Angels Stadium in Anaheim was estimated at $33 million and in 2009 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis at $22 million, according to Front Row.

State Farm has been title sponsor of the Home Run Derby since 2007.

According to Front Row, “Exposure expanded this year, [and] constant branding on-screen and [a] new format helped increase the value.”

In addition to title sponsorship that was mentioned virtually non-stop during the 2011 Home Run Derby by ESPN announcers, State Farm filled Chase Field in Phoenix with signage and other branding elements that appeared on-camera.

Front Row listed among the locations: Both ESPN announcer podiums; right, left and left-center field walls; upper deck banners; an LED banner around the ball park; dugout tops and linings; and one deck plate with LED branding.

Added to that were on-screen logos and an on-screen scoreboard, branding on the official baseballs, plus banners behind the players on the field and field signs that were seen on-air. And after Robinson Cano of the New York Yankees won the Home Run Derby, faux checks presented to the charities involved prominently displayed the State Farm logo.

Miller Lite also received significant ROI during the 2011 Home Run Derby. According to Front Row Analytics, the brand got $4.8 million in value from 14 minutes of visual exposure from two signs in center field and a pair of signs above the “Diamond Club.”