September 29, 2004

Volume 3, Issue 18

A "Sign" of Thunder in St. Paul

Thunder use grassroots marketing initiative to increase brand awareness

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Contact:  Jim Froslid, General Manager, [email protected]; Djorn Buchhoz, Sales & Marketing Manager, [email protected]

Teams: Minnesota Thunder A-league Professional Soccer Team

Program Title: Lawn Signs Promotion

Objective: The Minnesota Thunder's main goal with this program was to use a grassroots campaign to get signage out in the community promoting their new home in St. Paul.

Program Description: Minnesota Thunder fans saw the sign... a lawn sign that is! To educate fans on the team's recent move from Minneapolis to its new home in St. Paul, the Thunder initiated a two-game marketing campaign featuring clever lawn signs. Here's how this program worked:

The Thunder enlisted the help of their fans to spread the word by giving out lawn signs at their first two home games. Fans were then encouraged to put up the signs on their lawns at home to help promote the Thunder brand.

There were three different versions of signs, with each version having a unique message.  The first sign said, "Soccer in the City," which was the central theme for the 2004 season as the Thunder had just moved from a rural suburb to the heart of St. Paul. The second sign said "Soccer Spoken Here". The idea the team was trying to convey with this sign was that although there are several different languages spoken inside and around the Twin Cities, the one language everyone has in common is soccer.  A third version was targeted toward the Hispanic market and featured the phrase "Futbol se Habla Aqui" which translates to "Soccer Spoken Here."

Media: Print coverage was provided by the Star Tribune, the primary newspaper of Minneapolis. In-game announcements, radio spots, and word-of-mouth aided in promoting the program.

Sponsors: The Star Tribune was the primary sponsor of this program. As the sponsor, The Star Tribune was able to penetrate the St. Paul market where the primary newspaper is the Pioneer Press. The Star Tribune logo along with an address to their website were prominently displayed on each of the three different lawn signs. 

Results:  All told, over 1,000 signs were given out to anxious fans at the first two games. This was a great way to break down cultural barriers and invite all soccer fans to their new home at James Griffin Stadium in St. Paul! As a direct result of the program, several hundred people called the Thunder office claiming they had seen a lawn sign and were curious how to get one of their own. An increase in awareness of the team's new home and free publicity were benefits that were directly realized by this initiative.

Looking Ahead: After the success the Thunder had with the lawn signs this year, they will definitely be pursuing a similar promotional strategy next year but only on a larger scale.

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