In the midst of 2022 FIFA World Cup hype, Soccer.com and adidas wanted to show that wherever there’s soccer, you will find them—from the pros to the grassroots, from the past to the present and the future. The ask was to showcase MLS NEXT Fest – one of the elite development environments for MLS academies and top clubs in the U.S. – and demonstrate how Soccer.com and adidas are empowering the next generation.
Our insight came from being on those fields: while young athletes are inspired by the game’s biggest stars like Lionel Messi, they’re even more influenced by their peers. These tournaments and age groups have their own stars, with hyper-engaged targeted audiences. We showed our presence on the ground in social-first ways, with hero content giving deeper stories and connections to adidas athletes. And by bringing premium video to their feeds, we created engagement and amplification pods, penetrating micro-communities in more targeted ways to bring adidas to the desired audience.
Family Portraits
Personal storytelling resonates. Family Portraits is about giving flowers –– literally –– to those who helped you get to where you are. To show that for every player there’s a story.
This episode, featuring USYNT player Cruz Medina, brought glossy, shareable, video storytelling for his fans, with social collaboration posts driving engagement. It also brought true emotion and a special moment for the brand, with a player expected to be playing at the highest level for a long time to come.
Is This Thing On?
We also wanted to show the next generation of young athletes what it’s like to live like these players that they look up to. In this spin on ‘day in the life’ content, Cruz “stumbled upon” an analog camera/camcorder at the adidas activation tent, and brings it with him all tournament.
In between the cafeteria shenanigans and gaming celebrations, we’re also out on the field, with adidas and Soccer.com product front and center. The message is clear: with the best young soccer players, in the rooms you want to be: adidas and soccer.com are there.
Supplementary film photography gave that same behind-the-scenes feel in a way that brought more athletes (and their networks) into the fold.
adidas Family
adidas wanted to show their young player portfolio was deeper, more talented and more ambitious than any other brand. So we got all of their top prospects in one space to show the strength in their numbers.
We surprised them with exclusive gear with a white-glove treatment from adidas and Soccer.com. Then we let their personalities take over as they natural banter and competition came through once they got the gear on.
The end result: confirmation that the next generation of soccer players are wearing three stripes.
We also wanted to make sure to get very product-forward, using trends like ASMR and arresting visuals and perspectives to keep eyes engaged in a product-heavy piece.
In total, across two tournaments, we released nearly 30 deliverables with views surpassing the 4 million mark. We leveraged targeted amplification through the athletes, but also the competitions, and outlets and accounts dedicated to the space. And most importantly, the demographics, which showed the majority of unique new users were in the younger demographics they were targeting.