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U.S. Soccer Unveiled New Crest Using Virtual Reality And Social Media

The U.S. Soccer Federation unveiled its new crest marking the first change to the logo in nearly 20 years. But the new crest is not a rebranding done in desperation to draw in more fans; U.S. Soccer is alive and well in a way most never thought possible. This change and the way the Federation made the announcement was to continue to cultivate a great relationship with the U.S. National Team(s) fans.

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The new crest was not revealed in a standard way, however. There was no press conference, nor was information provided to traditional media outlets. Instead, U.S. Soccer sent 10,000 packages to current and former National Team players, friends of the Federation, and most importantly to thousands of registered fans of U.S. Soccer. The plan was to go above and beyond to show the players, fans, and country that they are on the forefront of innovation.

In the packages were customized Google Cardboard virtual reality 360-degree video glasses. Those that received the package then had to watch the VR video which highlighted both the Men’s and Woman’s Teams. The video featured narrations from some of the biggest names in U.S. Soccer from; Landon Donavan, Abby Wambach, to one of the newest members of the Men’s side, Jordan Morris. The VR video ended with instructions on how to open the locked inside portion of the package; which revealed the new crest on a traditional soccer scarf.

Fans and players then were asked to share the new U.S.A. crest on social media. Almost every current player on the National Team shared the design and the mantra, “One Team. One Nation.” The U.S. Federation then aggregated and shared the best player and fan posts from twitter to Instagram.

This approach of virtual reality marketing has been used recently by some American Universities as well by New Zealand’s national rugby team. However the U.S. soccer federation used VR marketing in combination with fan and social media generated gorilla marketing that was very unique; cultivating community engagement in a digital space.

Nike and the U.S. Soccer Federation had been working on this logo for nearly two years. The new crest itself features a more simplistic design; removing the soccer ball as well as the stars that had been featured for the last two decades. The crest draws inspiration from the U.S. flag, with 13 stripes in red and white, with a blue USA above in their brand new official font, 90minutes.

Teams change their logos often and for many different reasons. The L.A. Clippers unveiled their new logo ahead of the 2015-16 NBA season as a way to move on from the tainted past of the organization and its previous owner. The Toronto Maple Leafs began wearing their new logo in early February 2016 to pay homage to their past success; as the team has scuffled greatly in recent years.

The U.S. Soccer Federation is a unique place in terms of rebranding; they are in arguably the most successful period in their history. The Women’s team won the 2015 World Cup, attendance has never been higher in the MLS, which is drawing big international star into the domestic league. The U.S. Men’s team has reached the round of 16 the past two world cups and they are beginning a massively important stretch in the summer of 2016.

U.S. Soccer seized an amazing opportunity to continue to build on fan and team engagement with this rebrand. They spent far more money announcing it the way they did than traditional outlets would have cost. Allowing fans to feel included while using such cutting edge technology, and trusting their social media presence was established and to forgo traditional outlets shows the U.S. Soccer Federation’s commitment to the growing the sport today and for years to come.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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