10 Dec MLS Cup Final: Soccer, Social & Sponsors
Check out our latest work highlighting soccer, social, sponsors and more during the 2015 MLS Cup Final in collaboration with our friends at Gilt Edge Soccer Marketing.
As you can see 21, 747 soccer fans were in attendance at the Sunday Final while TV viewership rendered 933,000 views.
For Marketers, this final was very important in engaging and activating around the audiences that participated in the event.
The Social Story
The Social Story revolves around the team’s main sponsors: Barbasol for the Crew, and Alaska for the Timbers. The former came out on top with a 1,510% increase in engagements on social media during the week leading up to the final – an incredible value for them.
Good Luck in the #MLSCup Final @ColumbusCrewSC! Hope you don’t mind, we invited 20,000+ fans to watch you play today #ForTheCup #ForColumbus
— Barbasol (@BarbasolShave) December 6, 2015
Congratulations on a great 2015 season, @ColumbusCrewSC! Regardless of the outcome, you made us all incredibly proud!
— Barbasol (@BarbasolShave) December 6, 2015
Meanwhile, Alaska Airlines saw an increase of 760%.
What a great season for the @TimbersFC. We look forward to bringing you home as #MLSCup champs. #OnwardRoseCity pic.twitter.com/AzsQagAQIH
— Alaska Airlines (@AlaskaAir) December 7, 2015
The champions have arrived home in #PDX to a crowd of 400+ fans. Check out that trophy! @TimbersFC #OnwardRoseCity pic.twitter.com/trYz0LQZOW
— Alaska Airlines (@AlaskaAir) December 8, 2015
Clearly, when the team you sponsor is successful that can turn into plenty of buzz on Social Media for your brand, but you also have to be ready to activate around it.
Sponsors & Activation
Sponsors activating on-site included The Home Depot, AllState, Wells Fargo, Makita, AT&T, Johnson & Johnson, Continental Tires, Windows and many more. These brands got to engage with the nearly 22,000 in attendance the audience for this event, offering great opportunities.
Meanwhile, other brands were a part of the event by advertising on ESPN or Unimás, where viewership combined for about 933,000 when counting both TV and online streaming. Audi, Heineken and EA sports are examples of brand that were online present on TV and not on location.
What’s Next
One thing brands and especially marketers need to keep in mind as 2016 approaches is the benefit of engaging and activating around your audiences during these events, especially as one of the biggest tournaments in the US since the 1994 World Cup, Copa América Centenario, will be held right here in the U.S.
A great example can be seen from brands such as Barbasol, that one would normally say has nothing to do in the soccer industry, was able to increase their engagement by 1,510% within a diverse audience of consumers through their smart social strategy.
Don’t forget to take a look at what AC&M was up to during the 2015 MLS Cup at AC&M Attends 20th MLS Cup.
* MLS Cup Image provided by MLSSOCCER.COM
