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MLS Soccer Media

Copa90 teams up with Continental Tire for MLS video series to tap into soccer 'fan fever'

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By Rebecca Stewart, Trends Editor

August 17, 2017 | 4 min read

Copa90 has unveiled a fresh campaign in collaboration with Continental Tire – the sponsor of US and Canada’s Major League Soccer (MLS), continuing the football upstart’s foray into the North American market.

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Continental will work closely with Copa90 and the MLS to create branded films that represent club and fan passion

The pair have come together to build on Continental’s existing ‘Ode to Soccer’ series which celebrate the unique culture of the beautiful game, giving a nod to what makes it distinctive both on and off the field.

Continental will work closely with Copa90 and the MLS to create branded films that represent club and fan passion around the soccer league.

Copa90 has made no secret of the fact it wants to double down on the US market, having previously said that it believes football is a “universal language”. At the start of this year CNN’s parent company Turner International made a minority equity investment in Bigballs Media, the firm that owns Copa90 – at the time it was said that some of the funding would be used to fund the latter’s international expansion.

The most recent partnership is the first Copa90 campaign to go live in the US, and it kicked off with a video focusing on Impact de Montréal, giving some insight into the story behind the Quebec side.

Will McDonough, US vice-president, brand and commercial strategy at Copa90 said the goal with Continental was to develop a narrative that engages all fans and shares their passions for their clubs, “going far beyond the usual formulaic and predictable brand activity around soccer.”

With the partnership, the team at Copa90 want to take Continental’s brand campaign and build an authentic positioning that sponsor can develop over the years to move beyond product messaging and connect with true sports fans.

“Our partnership with Copa90 is an integral part of the new Continental brand direction within the soccer space," said Travis Roffler, director of marketing at Continental Tire.

​"The partnership builds on our #OdetoSoccer campaign and has opened up a whole new opportunity to meaningfully embrace soccer fan fever. Continental’s passion for the beautiful game runs deep and we’re excited to share the fans passion and stories of why soccer matters to them in a unique way."

MLS is unsurprisingly a popular partner for brands looking to tap into the US soccer market. Last month, Adidas renewed its apparel deal with the league, marking the biggest commercial partnership in MLS history.

The league is enjoying strong growth in TV ratings, attendance and merchandise sales, as well as growing interest among prospective franchise owners. Plans to expand it from the present 22 teams are already in place with Los Angeles FC scheduled to join MLS in 2018, closely followed by David Beckham’s Miami outfit.

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