It’s officially “Dos A Cero” week with the U.S. Men’s National Team taking on Mexico in Columbus. A few weeks ago, we wrote about how big of an opportunity this match can be for official sponsors and brands.
We conveniently didn’t mention U.S. Soccer themselves, but they have come prepared with tons of content and social marketing around the U.S. vs. Mexico rivalry on the pitch. Here’s a quick rundown of some of what they’ve done and have planned for the week:
Roster Announcement via Facebook Live
The days, hours, and minutes leading up to a national team roster announcement are always stressful for fans. Will player X continue to be called up? How come player Y never gets the call? Are we really going to start player Z in his non-optimal position? While U.S. fans have typically had to endure delays with roster announcements in the past, many times a simple press release or tweet is the ultimate medium to distribute the news.
That changed for this unveiling with U.S. Soccer teaming up with FOX Soccer for an unveiling on Facebook Live, which featured an interview with manager Jurgen Klinsmann. With live video continuing to be an important next step in content for teams and brands, it was great to see the collaboration between U.S. Soccer and a media partner on this one.
According to this article from Digiday, U.S. Soccer will be going live more than a dozen times this week leading up to the game. We anticipating how they keep the content fresh. It’s off to a good start with a Q&A featuring MF Alejandro Bedoya.
Turning to Content Creators on Instagram
In addition to the usual mix of graphics, training photos, and videos, U.S. Soccer is also embracing content creators on Instagram this week for unique content.
First, they’re diving into claymation by tapping an artist to recreate five memorable goals from the rivalry. We love this unique take on recreating historic moments. The soccer world has embraced content creators in a big way and this is another example of the blending of the two in a way that goes beyond just showing old highlights as they happened.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BMhuw-ThTVp
This week they’re also launching a new Instagram handle – @Since1913 – that is 100% dedicated to fan culture in the United States and will include UGC photos, videos, and stories. While that has yet to launch at the time of writing, we’re eager to see how this plays out. Building a new Instagram account from the ground up can be daunting, especially when the current @USSoccer account has 1.6 million followers. Hopefully there’s lot of cross-promotion early on so fans will become aware of the new account to follow it. As a marketer, we’re always trying to get brands to tell authentic stories, especially when it comes to fans, so we have high hopes that this will succeed.
Aside from the match itself, what are you most looking forward to this week ahead of U.S – Mexico?
Categories: Digital Content, Mexican National Team, Social Media, U.S. Soccer