A separate out-of-home campaign will feature five USWNT players in both group and individual settings, made up of digital, print and billboard components.
USA vs. the world
Fox will also build on its 90-second “USA vs. The World” spot unveiled earlier this month starring Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Rose Lavelle, Naomi Girma and Crystal Dunn.
The full-length spot will be cut down into shorter spots starring the players, running across all Fox markets.
“Reaction has been great. We liked it,” Gottlieb said. “These are brand awareness spots mostly. When we get closer to the tournament, we’ll have bespoke tune-in spots,” which will talk more about upcoming games like U.S. vs Netherlands.
The national campaign is running heavily for the next four weeks, but the company will debut regional spots across its 212 TV stations. Each player on the team will have spots dedicated to their own home markets, voiced by sports commentator Greg Olsen.
Unlike the campaign for the men’s tournament, which starred Jon Hamm as Santa Claus and featured international soccer stars, the campaign for the women’s tournament focuses heavily on Team USA.
“Men’s marketing [was] the tournament and the global stars. The men’s team was an important component, but it’s not necessarily the hero. Jon Hamm was the hero,” Gottlieb said, adding that in the women’s tournament, there (arguably) isn’t as much familiarity with international stars like Australia’s Sam Kerr.
“For mass audience and mass awareness, it’s Team USA,” Gottlieb said.
Big name partnerships
It’s not just Fox getting in on the USWNT action.
U.S. Soccer and Fox teamed up with Crayola to support women’s soccer. The “Art of Soccer” campaign aims to inspire kids across the country to get creative and cheer on the USWNT.
Crayola artists designed co-branded soccer balls, which will be exclusively available on Amazon, and Crayola influencers and Fox Sports talent have been sent soccer balls and design kits to create their own designs to share across social media.
Frito-Lay and Fox also teamed up to launch the Ultimate Soccer Watch Party. Select fans will be sent “party packs” containing everything they need to host a World Cup viewing party.