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Season & Key Moment Strategies

MLS logo featuring a shield divided diagonally, with a red top left section containing 'MLS' and five stars, and a white bottom right section.

Overview

❋ The Challenge

As Major League Soccer entered a defining new era, marked by its landmark partnership with Apple TV and the arrival of new superstars like Lionel Messi, the league faced a rare window of global attention.

The opportunity was clear: convert a surge of interest into sustained fan growth.

To do that, MLS needed a platform that could unify the league’s voice, elevate its cultural relevance, and position it as a must-watch experience for a broader, younger audience. It needed to enter the mainstream sports diet on the merits of it’s undeniable entertainment value and unmatched quality of play.

❋ The Relevance Unlock

Position MLS as an experience, not just a sport — where energy, emotion, and spectacle come together to create one of the most entertaining leagues to watch right now. This meant building a platform that elevated the sensory, in-stadium feeling of the game, integrated music, culture, and entertainment into the league’s identity, and made MLS feel culturally alive.

❋ The Outcome

The strategy helped MLS convert a surge of attention into measurable growth:

  • Record attendance with multiple clubs selling out and rising secondary ticket prices

  • Viewership increased significantly, with MLS Season Pass on Apple TV seeing a major influx of new subscribers and global interest

  • Merchandise sales spiked, with Messi jerseys becoming some of the fastest-selling in league history

  • Social and digital engagement reached record highs, driven by culturally relevant moments and expanded reach beyond core fans

MLS strengthened its position within the broader cultural conversation, moving from a league on the rise to one actively shaping the future of sports entertainment.

What We Delivered

Custom Research

Cultural + Audience Intelligence

Seasonal Strategic Platforms

Key Moment Strategies

Creative Integration

Average Project Duration: 2 weeks

A graphical presentation of Major League Soccer's new partnership with Apple, showcasing various fan moments, league updates, and promotional events such as new expansion, new leagues cup, and historic MLS cup, with images of fans, league logos, and soccer players.

The MLS brand needed to ready itself for a historic new season with unprecedented momentum and upside. As a challenger brand, this was its moment on the big stage to show U.S. sports fans exactly what they’ve missing.

An early partnership with pre-Grammy Doechii reinforced MLS’s role at the intersection of sport and culture — accelerating its move into the mainstream and broadening its audience.

Bringing the one-of-one energy and sensorial experience of an MLS match to every touchpoint.

Portrait of a man with long dark wavy hair, a beard, and a serious expression, wearing a black jacket against a plain light background.

“Quick Study instantly became part of our team, and with streamlined process, crafted a relevance-based strategy that set MLS up for a record-breaking season. Never underestimate the value of efficient people who simply get it.”

Chris Cereda | CCO The Fader/Cornerstone (MLS Creative AOR)

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