I preface this week’s edition of The Wins Column by reminding you that Jersey Week 2016 is now less than five months away. It’s never too early to start the buzz, especially considering the recent unveiling of the Seattle Sounders’ new Halo-themed black third kits.
I know. I’m talking about black kits just days after Mexico, who should have never switched from green and will apparently switch back in 2016, beat the U.S. in the CONCACAF Cup. Bear with me.
The kit itself wasn’t anything earth-shattering, it was the same “Pitch Black” third kit that the Sounders debuted during Jersey Week 2014. The only change made was a subtle one: under the “XBOX” sponsor that has adorned Sounders shirts since they entered MLS in 2009 were the words “Halo 5: Guardians” in stylized text.
But sometimes small changes are all that is needed. And this change was a small one that, as a journalism major and marketing minor, I applaud the Seattle Sounders for making.
I’m sure it’ll be a financially worthwhile change too, something that’ll get Sounders minority owner Drew Carey clapping like he is in the GIF of the Week:
What was great about this partnership is that it worked on so many levels. The black third kits were the oldest of Seattle’s current lot, and the Sounders were probably looking to make as much money on them as possible before they disappear next season. Making the subtle change allowed them to bring the jersey back to the forefront, and by focusing an entire marketing campaign on the updated jersey reignited interest in an aging product. The fact that the Sounders had never worn a non-rave green kit in a home MLS match just amped things up even more.
Another smart element of the move is that it the Sounders had a similar look in the past. Their 2009-2010 home and away kits had the words “XBOX 360” with “Live” written as a subscript. The 360 and Live were dropped for the 2011 season but it was a look that quickly became iconic and is still considered one of the best debut looks for an MLS club. Until a formula stops being a winning one, there’s nothing wrong with going back to it.
The Sounders and Xbox have had a very smooth working relationship over the club’s history. Only the New York Red Bulls (Red Bull), LA Galaxy (Herbalife), and Toronto FC (Bank of Montreal) have had longer relationships with their jersey sponsors, with each of their deals going back to before the Sounders were in MLS. The organizations know each other pretty well at this point, and there has yet to be any publicized controversy between them (see Colorado Rapids and Ciao Telecom, still in my opinion the most head-scratching jersey sponsorship MLS has ever seen). Throw in the fact that Microsoft (the company that owns XBOX) co-founder Paul Allen is also a Sounders minority owner and they’re basically one of the same. They both want what’s best for them, and what’s best for them is pretty much identical to what’s best for the other.
When it comes to the execution, it came off marvellously. The jerseys looked sharp. Having a real Warthog vehicle as well as Master Chief and Spartan Locke on-site for photos was smart and engaging. And the pre-match photoshoot, where Sounders players got the chance to line up beside Master Chief himself, produced memes that will be used in the soccer community for years to come:
Of course, the match itself could have gone a little bit better. The Sounders got lucky to even get a point against their pesky LA Galaxy nemesis. Chad Barrett’s game-tying goal would have been much more significant if it had been a game-winner, and it could have made the Supporters Shield race even crazier.
There’s also the fact that the match was played with American football lines, something that the Sounders have usually been good at avoiding. And then there’s also the woman who couldn’t stop slapping Barrett’s butt after the goal, the weirdness of which also distracting from the fact the Sounders should have been looking for three points instead of one.
But when push comes to shove, those factors were outside of the team’s control. The factors that they had control over were controlled well.
The logical question to pose now is whether similar marketing campaigns will show up in MLS’ near future. Unfortunately, the safe bet to take here is no, for everyone else that is. Every MLS club but one (sorry, San Jose) now has a jersey sponsor, but a quick glance through the current crop doesn’t bode well for the future of these sorts of promotions.
The newest bread from BIMBO (Philadelphia)? Nope.
How about a new investment package from BMO (Toronto and Montreal)? My crank remains unturned.
The newest “lose 10 pounds in 10 minutes” super-pill from Advocare (Dallas)? Yikes.
But Xbox, simply put, works. Halo is among the best-selling video game franchises ever, and even though I’m not a gamer (and for the record, I’ve played Halo for all of 20 minutes), there are surely loads of possible games that could work on a Sounders jersey tie-in. As long as the Sounders don’t make the mistake of abusing this style of promotion (which judging by their track record of off-field mistakes probably won’t happen), it could keep bearing fruit.
You never know, maybe MLB’s Seattle Mariners, who are owned by Nintendo, could do something similar in their future. Though if my 18-35 year old primary target market of professional sports franchises resided in the state of Washington, I’d probably prefer to get my photo taken with Master Chief rather than, say, Jigglypuff.
So once again, congratulations Seattle. You’ve set the bar for the umpteenth time in this league.
This also serves as a reminder for everyone else to choose your partners wisely. You want their goals and their images and their brand associations to line up with yours. For clubs in MLS, that means finding innovators, millennial targeters, and brands that are generally taken seriously and viewed positively in the public eye.
Like Zayn Malik’s One Direction career, the battle of “Cascadia’s most intimidating meme” is over.
Your move Portland. Your move.
