The Vancouver Whitecaps went viral ahead of their first season of play in MLS, releasing a new commercial on Youtube this week. The Whitecaps jersey is displayed prominently, but it's how the kit is worn that's raising eyebrows. The video features a behind-the-scenes look at body-painting as a Whitecaps kit is plastered on a model in ink. It ends with a photo shoot as the model dances around in the painted Whitecaps kit.
Check out the video, which has quickly become Vancouver's most successful promotion attempt ahead of the 2011 MLS season.
SB Nation, and Sounder At Heart, contributor Jeremiah Oshan examined the video -- stop giggling -- while comparing how the Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps have approached marketing in their first-year. The Timbers have been focusing on their supporters while the Whitecaps are going a more artistic route.
The Vancouver Whitecaps, meanwhile, are selling something a little different. Their promos are equally well produced, but in a totally different way. They are slick, while often times focusing on lots of things that don't have very much to do with what's going on inside the stadium. They feature celebrities, women deciding which players are hottest and players busting pinatas. Their latest promo, though, is sure to draw a lot of attention...
So far, as Oshan notes, both campaigns have been successful, with Vancouver selling 16,000 season tickets and the Timbers unloading just over 12,000.
Cascadia soccer is still alive and well in the MLS as the Timbers, Whitecaps and Seattle Sounders look to take their rivalry national this season in MLS. If the marketing each of the three teams has done is any indication, the three teams are set up for success both now and in the future.