Major League Soccer has found success building out its All-Star Game and other events by speaking directly to what makes the league unique.
“We want to create an opportunity to break out from a proverbial crowd,” said Soccer United Marketing President Kathy Carter. “By focusing on our fans and the uniqueness of MLS, it gives us a lot of opportunities to create additional programming around that ASG match, and other points during the season.”
Finding those breakthrough moments where the league appeals to not only avid fans but casual ones as well has become a key initiative for the league, one that just recently played out during Heineken Rivalry Week. The event featured high-profile matches and local elements such as viewing parties and a Heineken House soccer fan festival in New York City.
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Guests have fun at the Heineken House in New York City during Rivalry Week.
Photo by: Getty Images |
“For a long season like ours, media partners and sponsors can’t make every moment a breakthrough moment,” Carter said. “In the local markets, our teams do a great job, but we’re looking toward moments that give everyone a reason to get behind the league and the sport.”
Carter said much of that is coming from sponsors who are looking beyond the traditional marketing elements. “It’s no longer just about category exclusivity, but a shared mind as well,” she said.
For MLS, that sort of partnership is apparent during the league’s All-Star Week, where Chipotle is the title sponsor of the Homegrown Game. The game features top young players from the league and provides an opportunity for the sponsor to speak about its focus on homegrown products as well.
“You don’t always get that kind of opportunity where it matches up so well like that, but it comes back to that idea of a share of mind,” Carter said.
She said, however, that the league understands that there is a fine line before sponsor integration can go overboard.
“Fans are sophisticated enough to understand that sponsors are always going to be part of the telecast or the game,” she said. “But finding those moments where they can be authentic to the experience? That’s the holy grail.”
