Marketing around MLS
"The Colorado Rapids are thanking their most loyal fans with a unique opportunity to “Be Part of the Fabric of the Team,” as the club will feature the names of its Season Ticket holders on the 2013-2014 home jerseys. All fans that have renewed their season tickets for the 2012 season, as well as those that purchase new seats by March 1, 2012, will have their names printed into the design of the Rapids authentic home jerseys in 2013 and 2014."
via Pitch Invasion
Pictured is a new series of billboards for the 2012 MLS season by the Portland Timbers. The club has built on the minimal look of last year’s campaign, arguably going even less direct this time: no text at all on three of the four graphics, no taglines, no URLs, no calls to action.
There is not a soccer ball to be seen, and no players in two of them. Last year’s campaign’s focus on fans made logical sense given the MLS version of the team hadn’t yet played but already had wildly passionate fans to showcase; continuing with that theme is smart, while also adding a touch of in-game passion by the use of action photo billboards unadorned by unnecessary text and instantly recognizable in the area.
The “call to action” is the passion on display in the chosen graphics and the presumption it will resonate naturally in Portland as the season approaches. The idea is that the team’s imagery (the logs, RCTID, etc), speaks for itself at this point locally. I think this works for a club with the Timbers’ presence in Portland, but there’s something to this that all MLS clubs should consider to some extent. MLS is not a mickey-mouse league; don’t act like it in your advertising, or people might think it is.
All in all, MLS marketing has come a long way since 1996 (and really, since 2006).
Update: interesting tweet from Timber’s owner Merritt Paulson in response to this post, “player angle, not fan angle this year.”
Last edited by DavydMT; 03-25-2012 at 10:24 AM.
Great idea by Colorado. Not only have they sold their seats, but image the jersey sales too? Wow!
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Bleed burgundy? That's fucking terribleOriginally Posted by DavydMT
those building from the portland billboards always make me laugh. such a dump.
this is what should have happened with MLS CUP hosts.
perhaps with the ALLstar game
Branden Steineckert is the drummer from Rancid.
Very impressive and well done. On twitter it said that it was done by their own SG with RSL permission.
MLS is a tough, physical league, that emphasizes speed, and features plastic fields, grueling travel, extreme weather, and incompetent refs. - NK Toronto
Wow, that brought shivers! It kinda chokes me up to see how far the supporters culture has taken off in North America. It's really cool seeing two different generations cheering on their team and I can't wait till you see 3.
IMHO, I don't think you would be seeing anything to this extent if it was not for TFC's inclusion in the MLS, involving RPB, NEE and U-Sector.
Hats off to all supporters from LA to Montreal....errr maybe not Montreal!!
as much as people around the league hate to say it, MLS2.0 really did start in toronto. seattle, portland and philly have really hit the ground running.
we're 6 years in, never made the playoffs but we're still here. hats off to us. let's keep it going, shall we?
few videos that from Chicago
second video by dan gargan? neat
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