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July 17th, 2011

Ratings, Viewers, and #marrymehope Marriage Proposals

A fan showing his love for USWNT Goalkeeper Hope Solo. May soon be shown a restraining order.

There are conventional ways of measuring the increase in popularity in women’s soccer.  TV ratings, attendance at games, and online visits to ESPN’s web page on the topic.  However, one of the more intriguing ways might be through the number of marriage proposals that have been offered on Twitter, Facebook and in-the stadium through banners such as this gentleman to the left.  The leading recipients of this specific type of “nuptial-interest” seem to be forward Alex Morgan and goalkeeper Hope Solo.

One gentleman from Texas has taken his adoration of Alex Morgan to lyrical levels and created a song for her that he posted to YouTube. On Twitter, numerous devoted fans of the team and particular players have taken to using the hashtags #marrymehope or #marrymealex.  I also found #marrymeali for Ali Krieger, the defender for the USWNT that put in the penalty-kick winner, and #marrymeabby for star forward, Abby Wambach.

If you subscribe to the theory that all publicity is good publicity, then I think you would find this latest form of player adoration as a good thing for the player, the sport and the game, so long as it stays in check — or at least from 500 feet away.  I believe that it’s this very type of adoration from fans that will result in the type of marketing success women’s soccer needs in this country.  Passionate fans and devoted fans, and there are lots of them, will empower others to acknowledge that the players that they see on the field and in interviews are worthy of their attention as well.  I’m not talking about the crazies that are truly considering a marriage proposal, but rather those that have become wrapped up in this moment, these players, and this team.

For it is that passion that truly defines what Hollywood calls “The It Factor”.  Even if it starts with stalkers, it is that same appeal “to be like Mike” or in this gentleman’s case to “be with Hope” that leads major endorsers to sponsor players on things other than athletic goods.  We may see the Nike ad today that celebrates the team.  But we are mere weeks away from the days when Wheaties, Pert Plus, Vitamin Water and other companies start launching their TV campaigns from their soccer heroes from Germany.

That passion for the players is also good for the WPS.  Attendance at games will likely be buoyed by the USWNT’s success in Germany.  Club teams that are lucky enough to have some of those key players are likely to gain greater bursts in attendance and overall marketing surge.  Obviously, if the team comes home from Germany with the World Cup trophy, the opportunity is far greater for mass attention and coverage of the sport and greater scrutiny and face-time for each of the leading players.  Abby Wambach and Hope Solo have already proven themselves to be strong personalities with outstanding interview skills.  It will be interesting to see who else from the USWNT enters into that same stratosphere of name recognition and media savvy in the days ahead.

A win and a key play in the World Cup final today could certainly define who enters into the conversation.  After all, it was one decisive penalty in the World Cup Final in 1999 and her subsequent celebration that put her “Q” rating on a whole new playing field among sports figures in the U.S.  Lots of answers will come clear today.  Who will rise up for the U.S.A. today?  And who will be a media darling and build their “Q” rating in the days to come?  But one thing is clear.  It all depends on a World Cup “W”.

Posted in Video | by Tom Lillig
July 15th, 2011

With Dramatic Endings Come Gigantic Ratings

USWNT Forward Abby Wambach scores the tying goal in the World Cup Quarterfinal vs. Brazil

Last year when Landon Donovan scored the game-winning goal to send the United States to the quarterfinals of the 2010 Men’s World Cup,

Landon Donovan of the USMNT celebrates his dramatic "win or go home" goal over Algeria in the 2010 Wold Cup

soccer in the United States had a bigger spotlight than ever before. Videos popped up online documenting celebrations all across the country, and most people understandably thought it would be the biggest goal U.S. soccer would experience for quite some time.

Enter the women of the U.S. National team.

No one could have predicted that Abby Wambach would score an even more dramatic goal just one year later to keep U.S. soccer dreams alive. But she did, and with that goal she kept the U.S. in the World Cup and now with only one game away from their first World Cup trophy since 1999. Just like after Donovan’s goal, fan reaction videos to Wambach’s goal have started surfacing on YouTube. The joy on the players faces, the shot of Head Coach Pia Sundhage hugging a crying Rachel Buehler and the passion from the fans celebrating at home was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. The impending doom as the clock ticked deep into injury time and the Brazilian players stalled, expectations make the victory that much sweeter and causes people to love the character and determination of the team that much more.  At a time when most athletes seem to be overpaid and underperforming, this team represents everything Americans love about sports. This team plays for the love of the game, not for the money. They play for and believe in each other. They give everything they have, and has been said over and over, they “never say die.” You couldn’t dream up a better team for America to fall in love with.

In terms of marketing, U.S. soccer could not have asked for a better game than what took place last Sunday against Brazil. The early own goal, the red card, the controversial calls, the Brazilian stalling and faking tactics, and the last second heroics could not have been scripted better for this team of “never-give-up” players, to write the next chapter in American sports lore. The game countered a lot of the criticism that soccer faces for being too slow and boring; it’s hard to believe that anyone could still win that argument after watching Sunday’s game.  It was the 3rd most watched women’s soccer game of all-time in the U.S. and the fourth most watched game was the France semifinal on Wednesday.  The only question regarding ratings go, is could the 2011 World Cup Final beat the 1999 as the all-time watched women’s soccer match.

The other interesting storyline for soccer in America, is that the Brazil game and the U.S.A.’s ongoing march toward the trophy may have given the WPS a lifeline.  If the U.S. had made their earliest exit ever from the tournament, there would be almost no hope that a professional league would stand a chance. But if the U.S. uses their momentum and continues to have the same kinds of performances as they did on Sunday, then the WPS should get a huge boost in attendance, coverage, and media attention. If the U.S. players can return to their respective teams as champions, they will surely have won over a fair number of people who jumped on the bandwagon during the World Cup. They should be able to improve sponsorship as well, since there are few, if any, teams or athletes that have had such incredible underdog performances. The only problem the WPS will have to deal with is the Brazilians. Although things would have been worse had the Brazilians won, it will be interesting to see how fans react to them after the tactics they employed. All I know is that if I were a Brazilian, I would lay low in the WPS for a while. And avoid any and all diving.

It’s hard to believe that a U.S. soccer team could have as big of an impact as the 1999 team had. But if it is possible, this is the chance. They have the same grit and determination that that team had, as well as much of the same “girl next door” appeal. There is only one player still on the roster from that ’99 team that brought home the trophy and marketing gold with their star power.  And it appears that U.S. Soccer may have may have struck gold with this team. We’ll find out Sunday whether this team really can go all the way and if we do, I think the soccer marketers in America will be partying like it was 1999.

This post was written by Molly Campbell, Stone Ward intern and defender on the University of Notre Dame Women’s Soccer Team.

Posted in Video | by Tom Lillig
July 6th, 2011

Nike’s “Pressure Makes Us” Resonates With Us

U.S. Midfielder Megan Rapinoe taking a deep breath in the Nike ad "Pressure Makes Us"

While the main excitement for the Women’s World Cup is taking place on the soccer fields throughout Germany, the battle for the women’s soccer brand supremacy is being fought out by the two world’s two largest soccer apparel brands:  Nike and Adidas.

The U.S. Women’s National Team is sponsored by Nike and for the Women’s World Cup, the Portland-based company has created the viral video and TV campaign “Pressure Makes Us”, that offers a unique, an introspective look into the psyche of the U.S. National Team player as they seek out pursue World Cup glory.

Perhaps what makes the campaign most effective, it that it wrings with authenticity.  As a female athlete for the top NCAA team, I can relate to the women’s World Cup  Pressure Makes Us ad because it exactly fits my experience in so many ways and gives a great perspective on what pressure is really about.

One of my favorite lines was, “Imagine there was no Mia, no Brandi, no legends to live up to.” This spoke to the kind of pressure we felt last year when our chances for advancing deep into the tournament were looking slim. We had lost at home to UCONN early in the Big East tournament, and there was a sense of panic that the season would completely unravel from there. Our coaches brought us in at 5 o’clock the next morning for film. And while I remember nothing from the film, I do remember them reading off every record that we had blown—something like a 77 game conference winning streak and the first home conference loss since 1995—among many others. They told us about how all the players before us had worked so hard to build the program, and how we were going to be the ones to throw it all away. That kind of pressure that our coaches put on us during that meeting is exactly the kind of pressure the ad is talking about. You aren’t only winning and losing for yourself and your teammates—you have a responsibility to those who did the work to get the program to the very top. Interestingly, during that part of the camera panned to Shannon Boxx, a former Notre Dame player who is a legend we try to live up to every day.

Another aspect of the ad that I really like is that it presents pressure as both a burden and a blessing. It’s a difficult challenge to feel pressure from your coaches and teammates to perform well and win. When we fail to respond to the pressure, which we sometimes do, it is tempting to give up or quit. At the same time, however, pressure allows us to play harder and focus more that we ever could without it. If hadn’t had the pressure of the NCAA tournament, we would not have performed or dominated like we did.  So, while pressure is in some ways a terrible feeling, it is also necessary to reach the highest level. The ad does a great job capturing this.

Nike is certainly hoping this campaign will make them the women’s soccer brand champion in the hearts and minds of women’s soccer fans all across the country.  And if the U.S. team keeps on playing the way they have in their opening two matches, the campaign will not only be authentic, but will also be prophetic as the U.S. charges forth to a third World Cup title.

Posted in Video | by Tom Lillig
June 23rd, 2011

The Greatest Marketing Moment in U.S. Soccer History. A Year Later

The moment that changed the marketing of soccer in this country for a new generation of sports fans happened a year ago today.  It was an anchor moment upon which all American soccer fans will hold on to forever.  And also a creation moment for all sports fans that found themselves holding their breath for a soccer match for the very first time.

It was a “Do-You-Believe-In-Miracles?” moment that touched the entire country on an early weekday morning.  You couldn’t help but feel a connectedness to this “never-give-up” team and to the guy or gal who was sitting next to you at the office, the bar, or the cafe.  I have no doubt that passion for soccer on that day went off the charts and the imaginary meter that measures soccer fans in this country has grown steadily since then.   As a marketer of the sport, I believe that moment did more for the long-term growth of the sport than any marketing campaign that MLS, U.S. Soccer, Nike or Adidas will ever do.  That moment will live forever in youtube highlights (see below), but the real measure of its impact on the marketing of soccer is the number of kids that re-live it on the practice fields across the country and the number of adults finding themselves watching a match hoping to re-capture the magic of soccer from their TV armchairs as they tune in for yet another match.

Take a walk back in time and by the end of watching these clips you’ll probably be ready to headfirst slide into the corner flag just like Landon.

The highlight (with Andres Cantor on the mike)

The country reacts

ESPN Announces the ESPY for the Best Sports Moment of 2010

and finally “The Moment” TV commercial in which Stone Ward creates magic out of the moment using photographs and a memorable goal call, “You could not write a script like this!”

Let’s hope the players are able to make some more incredible marketing moments in the Gold Cup Final this Saturday!

Posted in Video | by Tom Lillig
June 16th, 2011

Adidas Helps Get MLS Fans “All-In”

With an energetic pulse and international star cameos, Adidas tries to bridge the gap between the world of MLS and the world of Messi in their new “all in” ad which debuted on ESPN last week during the Fire – Sporting game.  The talent gap between Juan Agudelo and Lionel Messi is more like a continental divide at this stage in their respective careers.  However, with some clever editing and dramatic footage, Adidas is able to weave a story that made me suspend my reality and allowed me to see the reigning World Football Player of the Year as a football peer with next great hope for a U.S. Soccer Striker.

The world might be laughing.  But I bought it.

And then I went online and bought some MLS tickets.  Adidas may or may not be the next boot I buy, but they certainly have positioned their brand well for the American soccer audience to consider them as a true ally.

Kudos to Adidas for attempting to trying to make me believe that MLS stars of the future might just belong with the international stars of today. No doubt it is a stretch for someone to believe that this bridge will be crossed.  But I think as part of our American mentality, we have to believe that the arc of soccer in our country is bending toward greatness.  I think deeply engrained in our American mentality is our ambition for a seat at the world football table.  And as part of that, we have to believe that one day that MLS will have a role in that and will be a producer of the top talent in the world.  And if not, why as Americans would we invest so much of ourselves, our spirit and our fan-dom in it.

Also posted in Other | by Tom Lillig
August 2nd, 2010

“You Could Not Write a Script Like This”

Ian Darke’s brilliant goal call is one that this U.S. Soccer fan will never forget. In fact, that goal call put the exclamation point on one of the most dramatic moments of the 2010 World Cup and the history of U.S. Soccer. In many ways, Darke’s goal call may have done for soccer in America what “Do you believe in miracles…Yes!” did for hockey, or perhaps more appropriately, the entire Olympic movement in this country. Without the rights to use video footage from any of the World Cup games, creating an ad that revolved around The Moment we knew would be unorthodox, but with some creativity, some ingenuity and some brilliant photography, we put together a television spot that not only does justice to The Moment, but just might have helped propel it to even greater heights in American sporting lore.

See this message from Landon Donovan in which he discusses the most memorable moment of his career followed by our brand new TV spot entitled (really, what else could it possibly be called) “The Moment”.

Posted in Video | by Tom Lillig
July 4th, 2010

America’s Moment: Landon’s Shot Heard Round the World

It seems appropriate that on our nation’s birthday, we celebrate by re-living that memorable “American moment” of this World Cup. It was just 11 days ago when the U.S.A. was on the brink of being eliminated from the World Cup, when something magical happened on the field and for the marketing of soccer in America.

Landon Donovan’s goal in the 91st minute against Algeria, with all due respect to Paul Caligiuri (one of my Facebook friends), has become the NEW “shot heard round the world”.  It brought this country together in a way that I’ve never experienced before. In fact, the entire sequence of that play starting with the Howard quarterback-like throw, the Donovan pass to Altidore, the Dempsey-goalkeeper-ball collision, the rebound shot into the goal, and Donovan’s celebratory headfirst slide into the corner flag is now engraved into my memory and the memory of U.S. Soccer fans all over the globe.  That goal may go down as one of the defining “Where were you when” moments of the decade.

The YouTube video compilation by Purdue University student Robbie Donoho, that shows American fan reactions to the goal from all over America and all over the world, has already been viewed by over 2.5 million people. And it helps us re-live our own emotions of that defining American moment. With a background musical score borrowed from the Jerry Goldsmith soundtrack to the movie Rudy, we live the moment through the webcams, the bar cameras, and the flip-cams of other Americans experiencing it. I don’t remember exactly how I reacted but I know there was some couch jumping, some hugs and lots of high-fives, but more than anything else, I remember that in that bar on that day, we were all united.

In that moment, no matter if you were a soccer expert or a soccer novice, you knew what needed to happen. You knew that a goal had to be scored before the ref blew the final whistle if the U.S. could advance. In that moment, soccer became simple. No worrying about understanding the offsides rule. No worrying about playing for the tie to get one point. It all came down to something very simple: the U.S. need to do something it had not done in the first 90 minutes of the game — score a goal. On the YouTube video, in that moment, we see that Americans from Lincoln, Nebraska to New York City and everywhere in between, are united in their doubt, their hope, and ultimately their joy. In that moment, we were all cheering for one team, our national team.

In that moment, we were all Americans.

Happy 4th of July from MarketingSoccer.com!

Posted in Video | by Tom Lillig