U.S Soccer IMC
Business Problem: With the U.S Open Cup coming up, attendance has become a main concern as soccer is not as culturally integrated in the United States.
Target Audience: Casual fans ages 18-34 who enjoy watching the World Cup every year but do not have a connection to their local team. They enjoy the social aspects of being a fan but they only really watch soccer off-season when it is on their social media feeds.
Key Insights:
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In the U.S., we consider our best athletes to be physically gifted. They are strong, tall, and fast. America’s best athletes don’t play soccer.
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People will follow the U.S. team to the ends of the Earth every four years, but when the World Cup ends, interest wanes.
Big Idea: “For the Pro’s, by the Pro’s”, a campaign designed to connect U.S Soccer players to an audience that values athleticism, discipline, and goals. This campaign is a collaboration with Nike Training app where users can partake in 11-day fitness challenges that are taught by local US Soccer team players.
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By giving users a personal connection to their local team and players, they will start building loyalty and familiarity, encouraging higher engagement year-round
Deliverable: One digital component and one traditional advertising component
Digital Component: U.S Soccer X Nike Training Club- 11-day Challenge
Rationale: By partnering with Nike Training Club, a workout app by Nike, we can meet our audience where they are. The challenge is 11 days, one for each player on the field in a soccer game. Each day users have a workout taught by a different player from their local team, building familiarity with not just the team name but with the players as well. The wording on the app is intentional in its upbeat and motivational tone. The challenge is for those who truly value athleticism, sportsmanship and will quickly get attached to the program and the sport that comes with it. While the program is geo-tagged to users’ home city, if the user were to travel, the players would change, allowing them to get to know a new U.S Soccer team.
Traditional Advertising- Out-of-Home: Billboard Series
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Rationale: Since the target audience is often found in big commuter cities, we can reach our audiences on their way to work, to school, or to the city for the weekend. This series of billboards are in order by days, offering fun and encouraging messages that align with the progression of the challenge. The colors align with Nike’s branding to catch the viewer’s eye and create immediate recognition. The copy on the billboards start off simple and get progressively more complex, meant to slowly catch the audience’s attention a little more at each billboard. There are pictures of players from the team to reinforce the association of what the challenge is truly about.