How MLS’ community connection attracts major global brands to soccer

On March 4, the newest and 29th Major League Soccer club, St. Louis City SC, played its sold-out home opener at the recently opened CityPark. Fans flooded downtown for the festivities, packing the streets around the stadium. There were banners and flags, face paint and soccer chants, tifos and drums, as locally organized fan groups—the St. Louligans, the St. Louis Santos, Fleur de Noise and more—marched to the stadium for the long-awaited debut of MLS in St. Louis. The celebration continued at a huge block party in the city.

St. Louis City SC gave fans what they came for, besting Charlotte FC 3-1 contributing to their 5-1 start to the season. The team currently holds the longest winning streak for a new franchise in MLS history. Brands, such as key MLS League partners Adidas, Continental Tire, Bodyarmor and Audi, took part in the festivities, which included on-field signage surrounding the pitch.

For these brands and others that have partnered with the league and its clubs, it was another manifestation of the excitement surrounding MLS, and why the league has become a premier vehicle to create lasting connections with sports fans on and off the pitch.

“There is nothing in professional sports in this country like the loyalty and passion of soccer fans and the atmosphere at matches at MLS stadiums, and brands looking for passion points to connect with consumers are recognizing that,” Sana Shuaib, senior VP of partnership marketing and partner solutions and insights for MLS, said. “You’re seeing it with our new club in St. Louis and in markets all around the U.S. Each club has its own soccer rituals and traditions that reflect the diversity of the fans and distinctive spirit of each community. At this momentous time as our league explodes in popularity and we embark on the path to the 2026 World Cup in North America, brands are looking to work with MLS to be part of the soccer revolution.”

A local connection

Community feeling is a big part of the MLS drawing card. Shuaib pointed out that nearly 90% of MLS fans identify community as a key driver of their fandom, according to a recent MRI-Simmons study.¹ And according to a YouGov Sport survey, half of MLS fans say their connection to their team feels like being part of a close-knit group or family—a higher proportion of MLS fans than fans of Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, the National Football League and the National Hockey League.²

With its 28th season now under way, the league is investing in world-class talent, new franchises, soccer-specific stadiums, an expanded player development infrastructure and innovative fan-oriented events like the reinvented Leagues Cup, coming in July.

“This is really the time to invest in MLS and soccer,” Shuaib said. “It’s such a global sport, with the most passionate fans, engaging storylines, incredible players representing more countries around the world than any major global sports league. In North America in particular, this is an amazing time of excitement and growth on the road to the 2026 World Cup.”

Some 26 million Americans watched the telecast of the 2022 World Cup final in December—the most-watched World Cup final in history. Soccer fandom in the U.S. was up nearly 30% year-over-year in 2022, and the soccer community expects even bigger numbers as the U.S., Mexico and Canada prepare to cohost the 2026 World Cup.

Also new in 2023: the MLS Season Pass subscription service, which is part of the league’s landmark partnership with Apple. Fans in more than 100 countries could watch the St. Louis-Charlotte match and all of the league’s games live, or replay it at their convenience.

“Our 10-year partnership with Apple is changing the landscape,” Shuaib said. “For the first time ever, you can be sitting anywhere in the world and can stream your favorite MLS team’s match.  Every match is available in one place, and with no blackouts. It’s such a great proposition for the brands that have come to us, offering unparalleled reach, scale, and access.”

How to increase engagement

According to new research from Sponsorship Research International (SRi), the average uplift for brands has nearly doubled when using the MLS crest in their marketing efforts since 2020. Fans overwhelmingly express that integration of the MLS Crest across the marketing mix makes them feel the brand is higher quality (88% of fans) and worth paying more for (82% of fans). SRi found that integration of MLS marks and logos amplifies brand effectiveness, lifting brand trust by 23% and enjoyability by 18%.

The study also found that MLS delivers a greater opportunity for brand partners to engage hard-to-reach priority cohorts such as Gen Z and millennials (30% lift in likability of brand creative), females (32% lift in brand value) and parents with children in the household (50% lift in relevance and 30% lift in differentiation). A tremendous vehicle to connect, engage and convert, the use of MLS IP reinforces existing positive brand receptivity and surpasses the benchmark of other North American sports properties (13% versus 9% on average).

“One of the most important questions we get asked by our clients, as well as our parent agency MKTG Sports + Entertainment, is how to best reach and engage two critical audiences—females and hard-to-reach Gen Z/millennials,” said Glenn Lovett, global managing director at SRi. “We found that MLS delivers this for sponsors in spades against these audiences when the MLS crest is used effectively.”

MLS’ brand partners have enthusiastically embraced aligning with the league’s IP.

“From a marketing perspective, we’re always looking holistically at ways to create new Audi fans and collaborate with partners to engage their audiences in a way that is interesting and authentic to our brand” said Jessica Thor, director of brand strategy at Audi of America. “Leveraging the MLS IP both aligns the Audi brand with a sport and league that’s rapidly growing in fandom across the U.S. and allows us to connect with a young, diverse and passionate audience, in a really meaningful way.”

¹ © MRI-Simmons 2022. The data herein derives from a confidential, proprietary syndicated product owned by GfK US MRI, LLC.

² Source: YouGov 2021 © All rights reserved