It's a Bloody Big Deal

IT’S A BLOODY BIG DEAL

1 SUMMARY

What to do when The massive player acquisition of much-needed energy into the Jermain Defoe from Tottenham TFC brand. people don’t Hotspur gave us the opportunity understand that to run with a campaign that would By showing a literal outpouring the biggest thing reverse the team’s deteriorating of emotion in England, we made perceptions, and shatter sales and Canadians understand just how to happen to Major broadcast records. big this Bloody Big Deal was – not League Soccer is only for the future of the team, but happening We knew the only way soccer for the city of Toronto, and the would ever usurp hockey in the advancement of soccer in Canada. Canadian press would be for it to The Toronto FC was a soccer club become front-page news in Europe on life support. Once brimming first. If Brits weren’t chatting with promise, the team was about it in the “Tube” or on the struggling to win matches, and Guardian, Canadians wouldn’t its loyal fans were losing faith. pay attention. By provoking footie- Toronto’s foray into Major League obsessed Brits, our campaign Soccer wasn’t working. dominated sports conversation, firing up Canadians about Defoe’s arrival and injecting

2 BACKGROUND

A soccer club TFC’s brand love scores confirmed the renewal rate languished at 62% hemorrhaging this sad reality. Only 8% of people – nightmare figures, as described considered TFC to be a club they internally. passionate, and believed in, and only 9% were ticket-buying proud to be fans.* A team defining move supporters So to resuscitate this flat-lining TFC was fading away in the patient of a soccer team, TFC For the seventh consecutive season, memories and consideration of signed star striker Jermain Defoe the Toronto FC (TFC) sat near the Canadians. Top-of-mind awareness from the Tottenham Hotspur of very bottom of the Major League was below all other major pro the English Premier League (EPL). Soccer (MLS) standings. Initially sports and – incredibly – below One of the league’s top scorers welcomed with great enthusiasm that of Manchester United.* in the prime of his career, Defoe in 2007, TFC was not living up to TFC might as well have fallen was an important (and very costly expectations. off the face of the earth. - $43 million) investment, one that represented their commitment Protect yourself and get Obviously, TFC’s business results towards the club’s transformation. ready for the kicker wouldn’t be immune to the dreadful public opinion. In early January Toronto as a city was having a 2014, season ticket sales were harder time finding reasons to moving at glacial pace. Cumulative support this struggling club and season sales hovered at 15% and

3 *Harris Decima, MLSE 2012 Branding Study – Wave 2, April 2013. THE CHALLENGE

Creating a stir A signing of this magnitude • Restore the crumbling TFC warranted an equally high-profile brand: increase equity in a city that campaign that would make • Put the franchise back on the increasingly TFC dominate the sports sport radar: increase familiarity conversation. Defoe needed to couldn’t give a • Position TFC as a team on the be the talk of the town, and rise: increase momentum damn about its excitement had to be surging prior soccer team to his reveal. • Pry open wallets: increase ticket sales • Command attention outside At the same time, the campaign BMO Field: increase TV viewership needed to crush TFC’s brand and business objectives to improve the health of the franchise: 4 THE TARGET Winning over The target: lapsed and casual Why would they spend their fans; TFC-apathetic hockey- hard earned disposable income TFC-apathetic lovers, who didn’t understand the to reward a team that wouldn’t Canadians magnitude of this deal. reward them?

Rumours of Defoe’s move swirled This crowd couldn’t identify Defoe The planning team knew that for months before it was finalized. from a one-person police line- the campaign needed to create Hard-core TFC fans already knew up. They took in the sport when conversational currency to force of Defoe’s soccer prowess and there was a reason but TFC’s casual fans to reconsider TFC. would be ecstatic of this marquee 6-17 seasons weren’t giving them A subtle approach wouldn’t capture signing. It wasn’t this group that anything to work with. their attention. They needed to be needed convincing. disruptive - not an easy task in the hockey-obsessed Toronto market. 5 THE INSIGHT

To make soccer Believe it or not, there’s a Since international soccer news foundation here for hosting a was what made headlines here, big news in Canada, world-class football club. The we needed to borrow from our it needs to become Greater Toronto Area is a hotbed brethren across the Atlantic. Their “footie news” across for soccer, and the sport has quickly anguish over the loss would create become the nation’s most popular reverberations that would definitely the pond first participation sport with 350,000 be felt in Canada. If we could more registered soccer players than capture this emotional outpouring Soccer is consistently overshadowed hockey players.* by the Brits and draw Canadians by hockey, as well as by basketball, into the fray – from a fly on the baseball, and football in terms of It was clear that there wall perspective – then we’d be able broadcast and editorial coverage. was a latent interest to truly win them over and elicit When soccer does land time on TV, waiting to be unleashed. the feelings and positive sentiment MLS is drowned out by European TFC so sorely needed. action. Talk to any soccer fan here But how would we ignite and you’ll hear twenty Champions this inherent love for the League stars before any home- game and link it to TFC? grown talent is mentioned.

6 *Canadian Soccer Association, Leading A Soccer Nation, February 2014 THE BIG IDEA

Rubbing salt in the wounds of the Brits to spark momentum and interest in Canucks

We had to light a fire under It’s A Bloody Big Deal was our Canadians – unfortunately it star-forward for the campaign. It had to come at the expense of became the main message – and the Brits who would be reeling not just because it might be heard from the news. By embellishing coming from shocked Tottenham and showcasing British footie fan fans. It nodded to Defoe’s English reactions, we’d command the and EPL origins, and signalled the attention of fans here. It wasn’t massive direct & indirect impact “you don’t know what you have he’d have on TFC. till it’s gone” but rather “you don’t know what you have till you see shocked Brits.”

7 THE WORK

A slice – albeit Typically, soccer acquisitions the January 13, 2014 press event to in Canada are intimate press ensure prime media real estate: over-the-top slice – conferences met with small • A teaser campaign from January of British footie life media coverage. There’s no real 6-12 would fuel speculation; and in Canada build-up. We devised a two-part campaign that revolved around • An integrated media assault on January 13 to control and amplify the message.

8 PHASE 1 - TEASE

We knew TFC diehards were an engaged bunch. By dropping a series of 0:10-second teasers over the course of several days on its social media channels, we orchestrated avid fan sharing that would set chat forums and blogs ablaze. These teasers hinted at what everyone knew was coming, but kept it purposefully vague for intrigue’s sake. Broadcasting the teasers in high rotation on top sports networks leading up to the televised press conference further dialled up anticipation.

9 PHASE 2 - REVEAL

With excitement at fever pitch, ensured everyone knew what the we went full monty the morning Bloody Big Deal was. A bright red of Defoe’s press conference. An double decker bus emblazoned extensive integrated campaign with the message drove around the (print, broadcast, digital, out-of- city, and was parked outside of the home) put Canadians in Brits’ shoes busiest subway station as a photo-op – whether in their “lorries” or “on to maximize earned and paid media. the Tube”. Wild postings, digital commuter boards, newspaper ads, pre-roll, page dominations, a front-page announcement on the cover of the biggest commuter daily newspaper, and a full TV spot

10 THE RESULTS Bloody Big PR

• 40+ Canadian & international • Were able to make 56% of fans news, sports, and lifestyle exposed to the campaign more publications (including Globe interested in the upcoming & Mail, Metro UK, Toronto TFC season* Star, ESPN, Esquire) covered the story and lifted the message in their headlines

• We succeeded in pushing Brits’ buttons: the Metro UK & Daily Mirror newspapers wrote snarky rebuttals, claiming us Canadians “massively misjudged Jermain Defoe’s status in England”

* Nielsen, 2013-2014 MLSE Brand Tracking Survey, May 2014. 11 Bloody Big Bloody Big Bloody Big Online Engagement Brand Love Business Results

• Website traffic grew 400% (All scores significantly higher • Cumulative season ticket sales sold (over 55% were new visitors) than in the previous wave) jumped from only 15% to 92% complete between January 7-13 • Facebook traffic grew 450% • Equity grew +7.1 to 54.0* • The season ticket renewal rate • Over 70,000 social mentions • Familiarity grew +8% to 64%* increased from 62% to 95% in 7 days • Momentum grew +9.6 to 60.9* • Total ticket sales of the home • 16,000 social mentions on opener increased 150% January 13 alone (+395% • The Canadian television greater than average) broadcast of the home opener was the most-watched english- language MLS game in history (1.6 million viewers)

* Nielsen, 2013-2014 MLSE Brand Tracking Survey, May 2014. Data was collected in two waves: November 21-30, 2013 & April 9-22, 2014 (post-campaign). Equity is determined by a calculation of familiarity, quality & purchase consideration. Momentum is a score determined by a calculation of energy, ubiquity, future outlook and popularity. 12 By understanding the nuances of the category and consumer, we were able to create a cultural property around a massive player trade that was true to the brand and its culture. Where only a year ago TFC was a team seeking recognition and credibility in the football world, we managed to carve them a space on both the Canadian and international pitch.

A Bloody Big Deal, indeed.