MLS LEAGUES CUP DESIGN LANGUAGE

In Summer 2023, Leagues Cup kicks off for the first time ever, pausing the MLS and Liga MX seasons for a full month to focus on building interleague, cross-border rivalries for the ages. Because our agency’s founders are Mexican, Canadian and uniformly football-obsessed, INDUSTRY is uniquely positioned to open this new chapter in North American football with our cherished partners at the top two leagues on the continent. We worked hand-in-hand with our MLS partners to define a multi-phase, integrated brand campaign. First, we needed to unlock a messaging strategy that would, at once, entice both avid and tepid football fans across Mexico, Canada and the US, plus make waves in the global football conversation. So, we gathered a crack team of in-house, cross-disciplinary football fanatics and local entrepreneurs and football influencers like Pete Hoppins of Away Days Brewing to brainstorm on what would play. We coupled our messaging with a sharp design language inspired by the shapes and angles of the Cup, itself, and a photo treatment leagues ahead of the same old sports photography. The results of our copy and design collaborations teased the “New World. New Game.” brand voice on billboards from Toronto and New York’s Times Square to LA’s SoFi Stadium and CDMX, plus digital out-of-home placements in targeted online haunts of football fans the world over. We capped off the tease phase by launching Leagues Cup’s landing page where fans can learn more and published our manifesto in top publications across North America like La Reforma and Los Angeles Times. We sent a photo team to the Leagues Cup Showcase in LA to capture on-pitch action and off-the-pitch street and culture photography to highlight the incredible energy on match day — from the parking lot to the actual homes of LA fans. This photography and motion capture formed the foundation of our anthem film, the jewel of the official Leagues Cup announcement phase. Leveraging b-roll captured at the Showcase, we announced Leagues Cup 2023 with fast-paced highlights, aspirational messaging and a voice-over cameo from Chicharito — the greatest Mexican soccer player active today.