The PGA is Driving to Survive & The Italian Job
TFC's Marketing Opportunity with Insigne. Categorical Movers for 2022 Sports Marketing. PGA Gets Netflix Series.
On Today’s Agenda:
How Toronto FC’s Newest Signing Will be Marketed
Categorical Movers for 2022 Sports Marketing
PGA Gets Netflix Series
The Italian Job
How Toronto FC’s Newest Signing Will be Marketed
Reuters
Just last week, the transfer and signing of Lorenzo Insigne were officially announced by the MLS’ Toronto FC. Though rumoured for weeks after breaking on Twitter, the signing of the 30-year-old European champion and Napoli captain brought lots of excitement to the market and made headlines worldwide. Though Insigne will be joining the team in July (after the Serie A season is completed), the hype has already begun.
This is not the first time Toronto FC has brought in a talented athlete from Europe to make a splash in the MLS. Two names that most TFC and MLS fans will remember are Jermain Defoe and Sebastian Giovinco. Both times, these signings came with a lot of hype and were introduced with their own flair. Today, we’re going to take a small trip down memory lane and look back at how Toronto FC introduced their star signings over the years, note down some learnings, and evaluate how the team will form a brand identity around Insigne.
Jermain Defoe - a Bloody Big Deal
The slogan around the signing of Defoe from the EPL’s Tottenham Hotspur was centered around the “Bloody Big Deal”. In January of 2014, those 3 words were all over the Toronto sports columns and were a key piece of messaging in the advertisement launched by the team to announce the signing
It's A Bloody Big Deal: Reds Announce Jermain Defoe
The context behind the commercial is how the entire country of England is reacting to the signing - seeing a big name go overseas to play the country’s most popular sport in… Canada? Although fans will debate on Defoe’s skill and prime years being behind him in 2014, the idea of a top-flight EPL team’s best player leaving to go to North America was not a popular theme (David Beckham went to LA from Real Madrid). The ad takes a light approach and is filled with stereotypical British themes, with everyone spit-taking what is assumed to be their tea after reading the headlines. No highlights or pictures of the star were in the commercial at all. Although the signing may not have worked out the way TFC fans expected, and the name Jermain Defoe may leave a sour taste in fans’ mouths, it goes without saying that the words “Bloody Big Deal” will remain engraved in the minds of TFC fans (whether as a meme or a nostalgic memory)
Sebastian Giovinco - the Atomic Ant
In February of 2015, TFC’s next big European splash was made. Sebastian Giovinco, playing for Juventus at the time, was brought over as a 28-year-old who still had some of his best years ahead of him. What stood out about Giovinco is his 5’4” height, earning him the nickname La Formica Atomica, or The Atomic Ant. The TFC marketing team took this nickname and ran with it in his introduction video:
In contrast to the Jermain Defoe video, this one is centered around the game and includes pictures of BMO Field, of Giovinco, and addresses the hype of bringing the star overseas directly. On the theme of his nickname, the ad takes a comic theme and feels like the beginning of a Marvel movie. Completely narrated in Italian (Giovinco actually needed a translator when he first arrived in Toronto), it adds a touch of Giovinco himself there and surely made its rounds in Italy when first released.
Giovinco was brought in with the fanfare of being TFC’s superhero, and with the hype of being larger than life on the field, dominating against the North American competition. It’s safe to say he did not disappoint, winning MLS MVP in 2015 (his first season), and 5 trophies during his time in Toronto, capped by an MLS cup in 2017.
Lorenzo Insigne - We’ll See What’s ‘Bout to Happen Next, Okay?
With Insigne’s arrival scheduled to be mid-2022, it remains to be seen how Insigne will be officially introduced and marketed once he touches down in Toronto. To announce and celebrate the signing, TFC did release the following video:
Playing on the Italian theme with the music, the art canvas, the video is capped off with the announcement of the signing coming from Fabrizio Romano, the most popular and one of the most trusted football insiders (we would say he’s football’s Woj, but frankly, Woj is basketball’s Fabrizio). With the Toronto area being home to the 4th largest Italian population outside of Italy (over 500,000 people), it is no secret that this signing will be a big celebration for Italian-Canadians in Toronto, who are coming off a huge Euro 2020 win. Only time will tell if Insigne’s brand will be focused on more than his Italian background and achievements.
This case study has shown us that each player’s introduction came with its own flair - the Toronto FC marketing team has crafted the branding behind each piece based on the player, not following a cookie-cutter model. The landscape of the MLS has changed in the years since Defoe and Giovinco were brought over, and with the boom of Canada soccer over the past 2-3 years, there is a growing fanbase for the sport - a trend that we are following very closely at white whale mktg. The Insigne signing and the allure that comes with it in July will be something to look forward to.
Categories With The Greatest Sports Marketing Potential
What Brands Can Do To Capitalize on 2022
martechasia.net
We’re two weeks into the new year, how’s it been so far? New year, new you? Or, new year, same you. Don’t worry, you don’t need to answer. In last week’s issue of The Sport Marketeer, the importance of the new year for potential partnerships was discussed. This issue we’re discussing this week is categories with the most opportunity if done right.
Alcohol and related products. You may be thinking, are we dumb? Alcohol has been one of the industries that have thrived throughout the pandemic, for better or worse, what further opportunity could they possibly have this year? You’d be correct, however, as a great philosopher by the name of Uncle Ben once said, “with great power, comes great responsibility”. And frankly, we feel a lot of alcohol brands have dropped the ball. Some are simply showing up and expecting results, rather than trying to build brand loyalty and create a strong foundation for all their brand assets. There’s so much opportunity within this space that the competition is growing. The Bob-Father himself is even getting in on the action with his line of Bobby Margaritas. To conclude, we want to see brands capitalizing on their successes and parlaying them into other aspects of the business. Heck why not even collab with hangover cures and offer them with each purchase? The possibilities are endless.
Speaking of parlaying successes, I just placed the biggest sports bet of my life last night, $10 on the Sens. It’s a great time to be alive and even better if you’re a brand capitalizing on Canada’s new laws. Yet, the theme of this article is going to be brands just showing up and expecting success. I’ll use my personal experiences as an example. I’m not a huge betting aficionado, as you’ve read, and when looking for a sportsbook, I felt comfortable using, I was left disappointed. I’ve scrolled through countless platforms and all of them have resulted in a sense of illegal activity. What are sports betting brands doing in Canada to grow? Slapping their logo on jerseys, helmets, signage, and presenting sponsorships? Really? That’s your grand idea to introduce yourself to the market. All of that is fine but it needs to be partnered with something else – live streams, edutaining content, and better look and feel amongst other things.
Looking and feeling good? Well, we’re in another wave of the pandemic and health & fitness-related products/ services are hot commodities again. However, let’s thank another category for simply just showing up. What do we have? Plain jane social media ads, discount codes, and another workout tutorial that’s been done 1000 times, lovely. If you’re a brand in H&F, make your mark. People are frustrated with current options. They aren’t getting their fixes in and can’t differentiate brand A from brand B because they all look the same. Mix it up, let’s get active in 2022. We want to see brands try new things – filming a workout video? Carve out a niche. Workouts and cooking lessons. Purchase a watermelon, perform workouts while using it, then showcase a healthy but delicious snack afterward. Then change the key ingredient/weight each week. Give people a reason to come back and choose you over others. I’m just typing what comes to mind, but we can make big things happen this year.
Amongst the biggest of things in this world, are major corporations. They’re running the world and playing a major impact in everyone’s lives. With that, we’re fortunate enough to have some corporations with a sense of social responsibility. Paying it back, paying it forward, and ensuring they leave this world better than they found it. One of the major issues, the world has lacked in recent memory is human connection, experience, and community. Sports play a major role in bringing people together and developing a sense of togetherness. I, myself, have sports to thank for numerous things. Not only is it the career I’ve found myself in but when I was the only Canadian attending the 7th grade in an American middle school, football broke barriers to building connections. A kick-off return TD can go a long way, literally ; ). Whether it’s at the upper echelon of sports and building activations for fans to experience and connect, or if it’s working with youth sports, we want to see sports, marketing, and/ or sports marketing deliver a few more smiles on everyone’s faces.
As I said at the beginning don’t worry, but that will only be the case if white whale mktg is by your side in 2022.
Drive to Survive: PGA's Turn on Netflix
PGA Gets Netflix Series
Keyur Khamar/PGA TOUR
It’s already on the way for all you golf fans and sports fans out there. Netflix is teaming up with the PGA Tour and Box to Box Films to release an immersive documentary series that will follow the lives and stories of the top golf players in the world on the biggest stage in professional golf: the PGA Tour. This series will take place and follow the pro golf tour throughout 2022 including the top majors that take place each season such as the Masters, the Players Championship, and the FedEx Cup.
Chief Media Officer for PGA, Rick Anderson has said that “This partnership with Netflix presents the PGA TOUR and the four major championships an opportunity to tap into a completely new and diverse audience. This documentary will give fans an authentic look into the real lives of our athletes, and what it's like to win -- and lose -- during a season on the PGA TOUR.”
In a never-before-seen outlook into the lives and careers of Golf’s top players, it will create a new experience on Netflix for those who love hitting the greens and even those who aren’t the biggest fans of Golf. This new docuseries will aim to have a similar style and impact as we saw with Formula1’s Drive to Survive series on Netflix that brought amazing publicity and attention to the intense world of Formula1 racing and its racers worldwide.
This series will surely bring some intense rivalries such as the Brooks Koepka/Bryson DeChambeau battle for the championship and hey maybe even a few underdog stories. Golf is an amazing sport where you never know who will finish best on the day and can create an elite champion in the making.
Since the early 21st century, Golf has been dominated in the public eye by the one and only Tiger Woods himself. Signing one of the biggest Nike and Golf contracts ever in addition to his personal brand, the story of Tiger Woods is one for the history books. However, with this new series to be aired on Netflix in late 2022, it’s maybe time we find the next Tiger Woods. Whether it's a breakout star, a recognized champion like DeChambeau or even a comeback from a previous champion, this documentary is going to shine a bright light on the sport.
Not only will we see the intense rounds of Golf on the best courses in the world, but also a deeper look into the personal and professional lives of the PGA’s top players. Athletes in Golf and sports all together are sometimes seen as just those pro athletes on screen and not as normal, everyday people. This documentary will change that. Looking into their lives and careers will help its audience and sports fans develop that stronger connection and liking to these athletes, and maybe even inspire the next generation of golfers. As the Formula1 series accomplished with an increase in their audience and interest in top drivers such as Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, we really want to see that same impact with the PGA series.
Furthermore, there is massive potential for the series to include the amazing athletes in the Women’s PGA (WPGA) and their careers and lives as top female athletes. Having these top golfers in the WPGA will help ignite interest in the women’s game that has been lacking in years prior, after all, women’s sport was the most growing topic in sport this past year. Hopefully, it even inspires young girls to join the sport and make a name for themselves.
Whatever happens, we’re excited to see what Box to Box, Netflix, and the PGA can come up with, and how they’ll dive into the lives of Golf’s top athletes. Hey, you may even see a live watch party on the white whale mktg pod when each episode drops. Stay tuned to find out and let us know what you think.