Major League Soccer (MLS) kicks off its 30th season in February, a milestone year that will see the league launch a new brand campaign around the biggest night in football — just not the football fans may be expecting.
In a 30-second ad created with agency of record Cornerstone, buzzy rapper Doechii shares her excitement for MLS alongside game footage. The “Game On” campaign will premiere during Fox’s Super Bowl pregame coverage on Feb. 9 in key local markets, including New York, Los Angeles and Miami, before running throughout the year on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, linear partner networks and digital and social channels.
The big game effort comes as MLS looks to build on increased attention from U.S. consumers – 17% of Americans are now fans of MLS, per YouGov research — and ensuing interest from marketers. MLS team sponsorship revenue last year grew 13% to $665 million, according to SponsorUnited, with Pernod Ricard brand Jameson becoming the official whiskey of the league in December.
“After coming off a record season in 2024, 2025 will be even better and with the eyes of the world on our sport and our league, the best is yet to come for MLS,” said MLS Senior Vice President and CMO Radhika Duggal. “Now is the time where the casual fan becomes a more avid fan, and with so many key events taking place in North America over the next two years, we have an unprecedented opportunity to continue to inspire fandom and drive our league forward.”
Duggal joined MLS in March 2024 after a stint as CMO for fintech company Super.com and several years at Chase. Marketing Dive connected with the executive over email to dig into the brand’s marketing strategy around the other sport called football and more.
The following interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
MARKETING DIVE: Can you talk about how you used data and research to craft the new brand strategy?
RADHIKA DUGGAL: We went through a rigorous data-driven process to craft our new brand strategy. We used four key inputs: existing data, stakeholder conversations, consumer market research and competitive data.
As a league, we have a wealth of existing data: Consumer market research, behavioral data, transactional data and other inputs. We started by studying that data. It was a great exercise for me as I was newer to the league, so a great way to learn about the brand as it was at that point and about our consumers.
We talked to 50-plus folks across the league office, clubs and media and other partners, conducted three rounds of consumer market research to really understand the value that consumers look to the league to provide and we reviewed 20-plus “peer” brands to define white space in the market. We studied what each brand stood for and how they communicated that to consumers and partners.
Looking at these brands — either competing leagues, clubs with great brands, entertainment brands or others that we believe we compete with to capture prospective fans’ attention — we tried to identify where there was an overlap between the value consumers wanted us to provide and the white space in the market not covered by competition.
Doechii is MLS' latest musical collaborator. What have musicians offered MLS as a way to connect with consumers?
It’s an absolute honor to be working with Doechii, who is currently one of the hottest artists in the world. Musicians have played a crucial role in helping MLS connect with consumers by blending music, culture and sports in a way that resonates with diverse audiences.
Artists like Doechii bring an energy that transcends traditional sports marketing. Her collaboration with MLS isn’t just about her rising star power, it’s about the authenticity she brings to the campaign, especially as someone who grew up playing soccer and has a genuine passion for the sport.
By partnering with an artist who can speak to both the music and soccer communities, MLS taps into the cultural pulse of younger, diverse fans, creating a synergy that enhances the overall fan experience. This combination of music and sports helps amplify the excitement and emotional connection to the game, making it feel more vibrant and culturally relevant.
Obviously a lot of people will be watching TV on Feb. 9. How do you cut through that noise and connect with NFL fans?
By blending the excitement of American football with the global appeal of soccer, the campaign bridges the divide between the two sports, creating a crossover appeal that engages both fanbases.
The media strategy for the “Game On” campaign maximizes visibility, creates a cross-platform presence and uses the cultural touchpoint of music to attract a diverse audience. By positioning the spot across a mix of traditional media and digital channels, it makes the campaign accessible, engaging and memorable — especially in a crowded sports and entertainment environment.
Given the overlap between football and soccer fans, the spot debuts during Fox’s Super Bowl pregame coverage on Feb. 9, targeting millions of viewers in key local markets. We’ve focused on key MLS markets with scale and penetration.
The spot will continue to run across MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, and linear networks like Fox, TSN and RDS, keeping the campaign top of mind for months. It will also run through partner-owned channels to maximize reach.
Lionel Messi's arrival in 2023 was a major boost to MLS. How does the league’s marketing find moments like that?
For players like Messi who are global icons, their presence in MLS ultimately brings more awareness to the league. However, awareness is a flash in the pan, and it can be lost in seconds if we don’t do something to harness it. That’s where the league and clubs come in with focused plans to turn that awareness into engagement using full-funnel marketing.
Similarly, how does MLS marketing team with brand sponsors to amplify both sides of the partnership?
We are privileged to have so many great and passionate partners who we work with day in and day out. MLS has seen great momentum. We have seen a 13% increase in league sponsorship in the past year.
When developing our campaign strategy, we are always thinking of our partners and want to make sure we are in lockstep with them throughout the planning process, as they play a crucial part in supporting and amplifying creative that is shared with the market. As a league we love the opportunity to create content and marketing campaigns that can also help build the brands of our respective partners, and we are excited to see this collaborative approach continue in 2025 and beyond.
