This weekend’s AT&T-sponsored MLS All Star Game marks the mid-point for the 2013 season and perhaps the standout club soccer campaign thus far has been Portland Timbers’ ‘Spread The Love’.
Timbers star midfielder Will Johnson may have been voted on to the AT&T All-Star roster for the game against AS Roma by MLS fans, but this campaign is more about the community than the players.
With the objective of getting as many supporters as possible to share in the Timbers experience – particularly those Portlanders who haven’t yet attended a live match – this initiative sees 107 Timbers ambassadors appointed to ‘Spread the Love’ throughout the community by sharing free tickets.
The club’s Jeld-Wen Field is packed most weeks, so this campaign is less about simply putting bums-on-seats and more about involving as many members of the city as possible in the Timbers experience.
So the team’s front office launched a new campaign at the beginning of the season to actively seek out and provide ‘Timber Rookies’ the opportunity to experience the passion and pageantry of being a Timbers supporter.
The 107 club ambassadors all have a strong relationship with the community, with football and all have deep ties with the city and region and thus are deemed to have made a lasting Timbers contribution.
They range from committed season ticket holders and stadium employees to sponsor staff and local city activists and are all empowered to give out free ticket packages to those who have been nominated for a live Timbers game experience by the Timbers fanbase.
That experience itself includes four MLS tickets, four reserve team game tickets, four Portland Thorns women’s team (owned by the Timbers) tickets and four ‘spread the love’ custom scarves in a team tote bag.
Consumers can spread the love through the team’s social channels by nominating anyone they feel is truly deserving (for the Portland area contribution) for a free experience at www.spreadtheloveptfc.com, or via the Facebook nominations page created for the campaign.
Nominees are selected directly by the ambassadors during the season, usually about a week before each Timbers match.
The campaign is promoted by online videos
The campaign title ‘Spread The Love’ is an expression often heard within the Timbers Army and is associated with Timber Jim Serrill, the team’s original mascot and embodiment of Timbers passion and generosity.
Comment
This campaign embraces the notion of both a community-focused club and of the sharing economy.
The act of simply giving away free tickets is often looked upon negatively in the wider sports marketplace for seemingly devaluing the experience, this campaign has something genuine and meaningful behind it as its strengthens the club’s relationship with its core fan base and its wider community.
Links
Website
http://www.portlandtimbers.com/spreadthelove
https://www.facebook.com/portlandtimbers?sk=app_143384235827225
