As sports fans, we are passionate, loyal, and we often live and die with our favorite teams.
But how does it all start.
Is being a sports fan of a team something it in our DNA?
Is it something we learn from our parents?
Or is it something that we can find for ourselves?
Could a marketing agency really make a difference?
While soccer is undoubtedly “the world’s game”, it certainly isn’t the national pastime in the America, the sport is gaining by leaps and bounds. Major League Soccer is going through an expansion of teams, the Women’s Professional League is also establishing loyal fan bases across the country.
Both leagues boast foreign and domestic players with major endorsements from blue-chip companies. And the men’s and women’s national teams have an active and significant following from all parts of the country. In 2009, When the U.S. Soccer Federation needed to create marketing campaigns to continue to build this growing fan soccer fan base in America leading up to the World Cup, it turned to Stone Ward.
But how does it all start.
Is being a sports fan of a team something it in our DNA?
Is it something we learn from our parents?
Or is it something that we can find for ourselves?
Could a marketing agency really make a difference?
While soccer is undoubtedly “the world’s game”, it certainly isn’t the national pastime in the America, the sport is gaining by leaps and bounds. Major League Soccer is going through an expansion of teams, the Women’s Professional League is also establishing loyal fan bases across the country.
Both leagues boast foreign and domestic players with major endorsements from blue-chip companies. And the men’s and women’s national teams have an active and significant following from all parts of the country. In 2009, When the U.S. Soccer Federation needed to create marketing campaigns to continue to build this growing fan soccer fan base in America leading up to the World Cup, it turned to Stone Ward.
With the World Cup approaching, Stone Ward and the U.S. Soccer Federation had a two marketing goals in mind:
Stone Ward started by taking a close look at the team, the players, the core fan base, the soccer universe and the sports world.
After some exhaustive and entertaining research that included visits to the youth soccer fields, interviews with soccer fans from around the country, a few stops at the award-winning top soccer bar in the country, Stone Ward arrived at a big idea.
- Build excitement among the fan base for the U.S. Men’s National Team on their drive toward the World Cup in 2010
- Create an integrated marketing campaign that would sell tickets to the home matches all across the U.S.
After some exhaustive and entertaining research that included visits to the youth soccer fields, interviews with soccer fans from around the country, a few stops at the award-winning top soccer bar in the country, Stone Ward arrived at a big idea.
Americans love their national teams. Whether it’s USA Hockey’s Miracle on Ice, the Ryder Cup or the Dream Team of Barcelona; patriotic fervor sweeps through the country whenever a big international competition is going on. With the World Cup coming in June – July 2010, we knew, this was our moment to connect with that unique brand of patriotic sports enthusiasm in this country.
What made this team special was that while many outsiders considered the team to be an underdog on the world stage, the players on the team seemed to display an attitude that they could play with anyone in the world. Stone Ward observed that American fans identified with this underdog spirit and embraced it. U.S. soccer fans loved that some of the players seemed to play with a chip on their shoulder no matter who they were playing and had a swagger in their step when they stepped on the field.
The idea was to use the team’s inherent attitude as a sort of rallying cry for fans. It was literally and figuratively, a call to arms, for fans to get to the game and support their national team with patriotic fervor.
And that’s how the campaign line was born:
The Yanks Are Coming! Are You?
What made this team special was that while many outsiders considered the team to be an underdog on the world stage, the players on the team seemed to display an attitude that they could play with anyone in the world. Stone Ward observed that American fans identified with this underdog spirit and embraced it. U.S. soccer fans loved that some of the players seemed to play with a chip on their shoulder no matter who they were playing and had a swagger in their step when they stepped on the field.
The idea was to use the team’s inherent attitude as a sort of rallying cry for fans. It was literally and figuratively, a call to arms, for fans to get to the game and support their national team with patriotic fervor.
And that’s how the campaign line was born:
The Yanks Are Coming! Are You?
Using the unofficial nickname of the USMNT, “The Yanks”, Stone Ward crafted an engaging set of TV commercials and marketing materials that built excitement for the team and motivated ticket sales. Today, U.S. Soccer pages boast thousands of active and engaged fans and followers on Facebook (135,000+) and Twitter (65,000+). TV viewership of soccer has surged past previous years’ ratings. And perhaps most importantly, the campaign helped fill-up stadiums and set historic highs for U.S. World Cup Qualifier attendance.
Also quite satisfying was that the team played with the “take on the world” attitude that the campaign was based upon. In June 2009, the U.S. Men’s National Team played #1-ranked Spain, a team that hadn’t lost a game in 17 months, in the FIFA Confederations Cup. Result: USA 2- Spain 0.
But perhaps the most beautiful part of the entire campaign was seeing that it had become woven into the fabric and the language of the fan base. As the ESPN cameras panned the crowed following the dramatic World Cup-clinching goal in RFK Stadium, they caught one exuberant U.S. fan holding up a hand-made sign that read the phrase that became the rallying cry for our integrated marketing campaign and the entire U.S. soccer fan base: The Yanks Are Coming!
Also quite satisfying was that the team played with the “take on the world” attitude that the campaign was based upon. In June 2009, the U.S. Men’s National Team played #1-ranked Spain, a team that hadn’t lost a game in 17 months, in the FIFA Confederations Cup. Result: USA 2- Spain 0.
But perhaps the most beautiful part of the entire campaign was seeing that it had become woven into the fabric and the language of the fan base. As the ESPN cameras panned the crowed following the dramatic World Cup-clinching goal in RFK Stadium, they caught one exuberant U.S. fan holding up a hand-made sign that read the phrase that became the rallying cry for our integrated marketing campaign and the entire U.S. soccer fan base: The Yanks Are Coming!
