Apple TV+’s fictional football manager Ted Lasso send personal, individual messages of encouragement and inspiration to every member of the US Men’s National Soccer Team ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The outdoor campaign, created in partnership with agency TBWA\Media Arts Lab, brings the comic American Football coach turned soccer manager out onto each member of the squad’s home town streets (and those of the team’s manager Gregg Berhalter) ahead of Qatar 2022 to spread his loveable positivity and cheer through personal, motivational messages of support.
The out-of-home campaign, which promotes the new season of the Emmy-winning comedy series and also activates Apple’s official US soccer partnerships (which includes the MLS), ranges from standard full-size billboards to the side of a rural barn and the wall of one player’s high school and appeared almost simultaneously in 24 cities and towns across the USA (including Atlanta, Baton Rouge, Chicago, Dallas, Nashville, New Jersey, New York, Pico Rivera, San Diego and Seattle).
The billboards were designed with bright yellow with blue lettering that carried personal, detailed, sometimes lengthy and always funny message of hope in classic Ted Lasso iconic, idiosyncratic style.
For example, one message to Tim Ream (who plays in the Premier League for Fulham FC) compares the player to a bright light that Ted can’t wait to see in action, while another dedicated to Seattle Sounders’ Jordan Morris lets the player know that he has the fictional coach’s unwavering support.
“Lotta gloomy days but the thing about you is that you don’t let anyone rain on your parade. Precipitation and perseverance are two of your specialities. Maybe just focus on the second one when you’re playing in the Big Games.”
The personal good luck messages also appear in local newspapers and in social postings from @tedlasso and shared by @USMNT on Twitter and were also amplified by the some of the players’ professional clubs too.
Some @timream5 love in StL from @TedLasso
» @CarlosRReporter pic.twitter.com/w2QUFzYkn0
— U.S. Men's National Soccer Team (@USMNT) November 13, 2022
.@TedLasso’s callin’ Baton Rouge ☎️
» r/ussoccer pic.twitter.com/VsHDqWN5li
— U.S. Men's National Soccer Team (@USMNT) November 15, 2022
We believe.
@TedLasso pic.twitter.com/cCx5Tet2tS
— U.S. Men's National Soccer Team (@USMNT) November 13, 2022
Believe in @thewalkerzim @TedLasso x @USMNT pic.twitter.com/rCEj9O9L2u
— Nashville SC (@NashvilleSC) November 17, 2022
A note from @TedLasso for Brenden Aaronson on a barn in Medford, NJ just makes sense.
Think about it.#DOOP | @6abc, @AppleTV pic.twitter.com/auX7Z5kSxr
— PhilaUnion (@PhilaUnion) November 16, 2022
Comment
This creative, inspiring and unconventional campaign rolled out to leverage the 9 November unveiling of the USMNT squad for Qatar 2022 (which kicks off on 20 November).
Everyone, even the world’s best football players, benefit from a bit of positive encouragement and some inspirational words from the great Ted Lasso will surely help boost the US team.
This isn’t the first time a Ted Lasso campaign has leveraged USA Soccer. Previously, Lasso linked with the USA Olympic Women’s Soccer Team to reveal the names of the players chosen for the Tokyo squad
Plus an Apple/EA Sports campaign promoted the latest version of the world-leading FIFA 23 game in ‘EA FIFA 23 x Ted Lasso’.
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