Menu
Marketing and Sponsorship

MLS Deploys Superhero Narrative For Digital Campaign Around FIFA World Cup

Dynamo's Garcia gets superhero treatment
in MLS campaign
MLS has brought the idea that athletes "are heroic" to life in a "new lo-fi, high-tech digital campaign" for the FIFA World Cup, according to Matt Van Hoven of DIGIDAY. The league "asked its 'young, tech-savvy fans' last month to choose the superpowers of seven pro players." The league then "employed old-school illustrators, Vine and Snapchat influencers to transform the seven players into superheroes with attributes like super speed and the ability to turn into a brick wall." Featured players included Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, Boniek Garcia, Kyle Beckerman, Omar Gonzalez, Graham Zusi and Tim Cahill. Four illustrators, five Vine influencers and one Snapchat whiz "brought the heroes to life in the campaign, which launched June 10." The Vine and Snapchat artists "all work with GrapeStory, the marketing agency and production house" founded by brothers Gary and AJ Vaynerchuk and Jerome Jarre. MLS said that the campaign "has already reached 40 million people." MLS Digital VP Chris Schlosser added that this reach "has led to 'record engagement' for the brand, which is finding its audience through an MLS Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, mlssoccer.com and KICKTV, a RebelMouse page that aggregates MLS content" (DIGIDAY.com, 6/20).

BATTLE OF THE BRANDS: Following a goal by England F Wayne Rooney against Uruguay yesterday, which was his first at a World Cup, Nike on its official Twitter feed sent out a Vine video with the hashtag #riskeverything. That vine engaged with over 500 fans in less than two minutes, according to an analysis by Atlanta-based CSE. Just moments later, Uruguay F Luis Suarez scored his second goal of the game and following the game, adidas on its official feed tweeted out, “Two good. Luis Suarez #allin or nothing.” Two minutes after that adidas tweet, team Uruguay’s sponsor Puma tweeted out an image of the team celebrating with the hashtag #GarraCharrua. The Charrua are an indigenous people in Uruguay and “Garra” means to have moxie (CSE).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 18, 2024

Sports Business Awards nominees unveiled; NWSL's historic opening weekend and takeaways from CFP deal

ESPN’s Jay Bilas, BTN’s Meghan McKeown, and a deep dive into AppleTV+’s The Dynasty

On this week’s Sports Media Podcast from the New York Post and Sports Business Journal, ESPN’s Jay Bilas talks all things NCAA. Big Ten Network’s Meghan McKeown shares her insight into the Caitlin Clark craze. The Boston Globe’s Chad Finn chats all things Bean Town. And SBJ’s Xavier Hunter drops in to share his findings on how the NWSL is making a social media push.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2014/06/20/Marketing-and-Sponsorship/MLS.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2014/06/20/Marketing-and-Sponsorship/MLS.aspx

CLOSE