Volkswagen and Major League Soccer

Challenge

Volkswagen was looking for someone to manage their sponsorship investment in Major League Soccer (MLS) to reposition the brand through the lens of soccer. They had a schedule grassroots events with MLS and were looking to create a credible and authentic brand connection with soccer enthusiasts.

The program ran over the 9-month soccer season at 30 events including MLS All Star Game and MLS Cup in 20 US markets nationwide.

Eiger redesigned Volkswagen event assets and creative collateral fully leveraging their MLS partnership imagery to give them a unique “soccer” feel including player images, soccer terminology and the social call to action #VW4Soccer. We carried the imagery from our brand ambassador uniforms through to event signage, tent backdrops, and vehicle wraps. On-site we created interactive vehicle-specific knowledge challenges that were rewarded with high demand premiums and incorporated MLS player appearances.

With the redesign complete, we implemented the program through an intricate process of nationwide event planning, coordination with MLS, VW and tournament officials, shipping logistics, staffing, training, vehicle movements, and on-site execution.

From the very first implementation, fans instantly knew that VW was a soccer brand. The program changes from the inclusion of players and marks in creative, staff training and the integration of soccer specific activity on-site including player appearances positively impacted brand perception and experience. By focusing on quality over quantity we doubled our intercept numbers in adults, saw a 30% increase in product knowledge from consumers in only one year while saving 15% on program budget. The hashtag #VW4Soccer saw an increase in social activity by 110% over the prior year.