A new multi-year shirt sponsorship between TikTok and the Portland Timbers Fc and the Portland Thorns FC was revealed through a series of TikTok videos featuring players from both sides showing off the brand’s logo on their 2021 shirt sleeves.
Unveiled on Tuesday 23 February through shirt reveal spots posted exclusively on the club’s own TikTok accounts – @timbersfc and @thornsfc – starring Thorns FC midfielder (and USWNT star) Crystal Dunn and Timbers midfielder Eryk Williamson.
@timbersfc Timbers x @tiktok – a perfect partnership. ##fyp ##mls ##soccer
@thornsfc Is there a better kit out there? Noooooope. ##fyp ##nwsl ##soccer ##thornsfc
The Major League Soccer (MLS) and National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) clubs both feature the video creation platform’s logo on the right sleeves of their respective jerseys: both those worn by the team during games and on replica kits and club merchandise.
PTFC x TikTok
We're thrilled to announce a groundbreaking partnership with @tiktok_us.
DETAILS: https://t.co/BMhYuZeuGE | #RCTID #OneClub pic.twitter.com/3YwZiKBEmY
— Portland Timbers (@TimbersFC) February 23, 2021
Part of the deal will see the Timbers and Thorns generate weekly TikTok content including behind-the-scenes looks, fan reactions, highlights, in-match fare and mascots, while Dunn and Williamson will also create exclusive content for the platform.
Plus, another strand of the partnership will see the company’s global ‘TikTok for Good’ initiative gain a portion of the proceeds from every Timbers and Thorns FC jersey sold (as well as four unique co-branded scarves) and the money will be donated to a Portland-area non-profit.
TikTok’s Director Of Global Strategic Partnerships (Americas and Oceania) Harish Sarma said: “We are delighted to partner with two world-class soccer teams that are leaders in their communities both on and off the field. We strongly feel that gender equity in sports is crucial to changing perceptions and progressing for the better as a society. The Portland Timbers and Thorns share this belief, and we are proud that our first soccer team partnership in the U.S. places an equal emphasis on female athletes.”
Timbers and Thorns FC President Of Business Development Mike Golub added: “TikTok is one of the world’s leading content and entertainment platforms, and we are thrilled to be partnering with such a dynamic global brand. The partnership is ground breaking to have equal TikTok representation on both Timbers and Thorns jersey sleeves, and it will give us a unique ability to create and distribute content in collaboration with TikTok. We are very proud that TikTok chose our clubs as two of their first team sponsorship deals in the U.S.”
Comment:
The tie-up marks TikTok’s first with a US soccer organisation and follows hot on the heels of its recent announcement that it has become an official partner of UEFA Euro 2020 which it marked with a video mashup.
TikTok’s blog based press release announcing the tie-ups explained that soccer content has exploded on its platform in the last 18 months and has generated more than 40bn views via the #soccer hashtag in the USA and 80bn via the #football hashtag outside the US.
Other notable recent TikTok football initiatives range from Borrussia Dortmund’s 2019 #CheerForBVB to Pepsi Maxi’s recent UEFA Champions League ‘Fizz To Life’ activation while football/soccer accounts which recently debuted on the platform range from @champions_league_oficial, @england and @juventus, to @legeseriea and @manutd.
Links:
TikTok
Portland Timbers
https://www.tiktok.com/@timbersfc
Portland Thorns
https://www.timbers.com/thornsfc
https://www.tiktok.com/@thornsfc
Leave a comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.