Kicking Stereotypes: Creating and Launching the Toronto FC Brand
Scope
Brand Strategy & Positioning
Naming
Creative Direction
Brand Identity
Brand & Marketing Collateral
Integrated Campaign
Copywriting
Packaging
Uniform Design
Branded Merchandise
Photography & Art Direction
Production Management
Brand Guidelines
Share
Football is as much the fabric of everyday life for anyone outside North America as death and taxes. But while it enjoys a long history of success globally, repeated attempts to bring “the world’s game” to North America had been unsuccessful. Maple Sports & Entertainment intended to change that, and following our success creating the Toronto Marlies, enlisted our help.
In early 2006, MLSE announced their intention to bring a soccer franchise to Toronto. We were tasked with developing the team’s name, logo, positioning, identity system, tagline, and brand standards. Following the development of the core brand, we needed to bring it to life across a launch campaign (print, transit, radio, out-of-home), sales materials (website, season tickets package), event and promotional collateral, and merchandise.
We conducted exhaustive research on the category and the audience to understand how to position a Toronto team best.
We came to understand that, unlike other cities in North America, bringing a franchise to Toronto posed a unique challenge due to the unusual fan base.
Toronto soccer fans are one of the most ethnically diverse groups of fans anywhere in the world, each bringing cultural predispositions to the game. Toronto fans also bring long-standing loyalty and allegiance to other teams, passed on to them from their parents and grandparents. The Toronto fan base is an incredibly informed one, with a strong radar for anything presented to them that isn’t genuine.
It became clear that efforts would need to be both authentic and inclusive in their approach, and as a result, we determined that we would appeal to this group’s universal love of the sport as a way to sell the Toronto team.
The core notion that fell out of this approach was the “All for One” brand positioning and tagline, which acted as a rallying cry to set aside differences and unite in a collective love of soccer. “All for One” directed all launch areas — print, radio and transit advertising, website and event, season tickets and other collateral.
In season one, ticket sales exceeded projections by 25%, with an average at-home attendance reaching over 20,000 fans and demand for Toronto FC merchandise 3 times greater than anticipated. Additionally, Toronto FC won Strategy Magazine’s “Brand of the Year.”
