Project Summary: As soccer grows across the US, Minnesota United FC aims to market their
team to younger generations. GSCG will help the soccer team by researching the global sport
industry and developing different marketing strategies specifically tailored to Gen Z.
Week 3: Research & ideate Strategic Partnerships
Research current partnerships that MNUFC has and how they’re promoting this. Ideate strategic
partnerships that you think MNUFC would benefit from and that would attract a Gen Z audience.
CharlieTarget Jersey sponsorship is strong. It is a Minnesota based company; the partnership started in 2017.
They are one of the main sponsors for MNUFC with their brand being on display for all home
games. It is a strong brand from Minnesota but also of large national standing as well. Target is
also listed as one Gen Z’s favorite brands largely due to its CSR efforts.
This could lead to a potential opportunity with Target and MNUFC that would take advantage of
Targets supporting minority brands and other small businesses that they propel to national
recognition through their platform.
Atomic Data Atomic Data is a network company that sponsors the suite level of the MNUFC stadium. This
doesn’t really target the Gen Z audience as generally suite owners probably have more money
and maybe older. One thing that Atomic Data could take advantage of is as a network company
they could maybe create experience based around the data housed within the network and
create an opportunity for Gen Z to learn more about how technology works within the sports
industry.
Potential Collaborations Minnesota Influencers on TikTok who could promote the experience of going to a MNUFC game
leveraging their Gen Z audience.
Influencers:
Amber Estenson – That Mid-Western Mom (Comedic satire of the stereotypical Minnesotan
mom)
Shelby (Shelbyinminnesota) & Eric White (Eric White on the Mic) - What to do in Minnesota
Taylor Hage & Lucas Greenwaldt (Fashion influencers who could create an outfit for the
MNUFC game)
CedarI investigated the Minnesota United jersey sponsor situation. Since their introduction to the
league in 2017, they’ve been sponsored by Target, with a massive Target logo in the center of
their jersey. The deal accounts for about 16.6% of their annual media revenue, which is just
below average for MLS teams (StarTribune).
Honestly, the Target logo is a very aesthetically pleasing jersey centerpiece and stands out in
the MLS jersey sponsor scene. Many teams have healthcare companies or national brands that
lack recognizable – or interesting – logos, but Minnesota’s has a case for being one of the best.
While there are certainly more relevant sponsors to Gen Z than Target (like XBOX on the
Seattle Sounders Jerseys from 2009-2017), I would say that this would be a poor place to make
a change.
Collaboration Recommendation: Minnesota Wild. The NHL team is one of the only other high
attendance sports teams based out of St. Paul, Minnesota, which is extremely important if a
ticket collaboration was to be organized. We learned that United only has about 4,500 sellable
tickets per game, so a portion of these tickets could be offered to Wild fans for a fraction of what
they usually cost in an effort to attract first-time viewers. Doubleheader potentially? Definitely an
idea to work off of.
Tyler-
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I think having Target as their jersey sponsor is great because of its strong brand
recognition. Most other MLS teams don’t have sponsors of Targets quality.
o Should be utilized more in promotion material
Seem to have a strong mix of partners but don’t seem to have many strong Gen Z
focused partnerships.
o Very consistent with other MLS team partners
o United seemed to have more local sponsors
Have a good mix of local businesses (Castle Danger Brewery, The Freehouse, Lupulin
Brewing) that they offer in the stadium and larger corporations (McDs, Pepsi, BMW)
o Partner with several Minnesota based corporations (Target, 3M, Toro, Ecolab)
The entirety of MLS has a partnership with Apple so you can stream any MLS game with
no blackouts.
o This is a great sign for the future of MLS and getting more Gen Z involved by
having the ability to watch games.
o Visibility is a major barrier for some sports due to blackouts and broadcast right
restrictions and this 10-year partnership eliminates that issue for United for the
next decade
“Theme Nights” are a great way to utilize sponsorships and partnerships
o United already uses organizations to sponsor different theme nights
 Ex: Mental Health Awareness night presented by SeatGeek
 This is not only a great way to support Gen Z social causes, but also
bring in new sponsors to support them
United does a great job with offering “Group Nights” for youth sports, healthcare,
educators, first responders, students.
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Tickets for all five nights start at $32 and come with an MNUFC-branded item
and a post-game on-field experience.
“Lawn layover presented by Sun Country” free tailgate before some games with DJs,
food, games, giveaways, etc
o Think there's real potential to market this more and make it a more consistent
event that could tailor towards Gen Z
o https://www.mnufc.com/news/mnufc-announce-promotional-schedule-for-2023mls-season
Recommendations:
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90% of MLS fans identify community as a key driver of their fandom
o Sponsoring with local brands and innitiatives that are unique to Minnesota such
as restaurants and brewery's that could offer promotions while also providing
concessions at games (looks like they already do this)
Partner with pop culture brands
o The younger the audience, the greater they flock to pop-culture content over
more traditional sports storytelling. A survey found that Gen Z views
entertainment content at the highest percentage of ALL TOPICS – 48%,
compared to sports content at only 23% so tying these together could be a good
way to drive Gen Z viewership.
 Ex: MiLB partnered with Marvel, to host ‘Marvel Night’
 Potential to offer special promotions to interact with younger audiences to
spark engagement in soccer
 Definitely more of an MLS sponsorship, but themed nights are a
good way to drive Gen Z participation at games
 Partnering with influencers
 Wearing United merch, making content at games, etc
o Great way to market to Gen Z
Mayo Clinic is also based out of MINN and could be a good partner
o Social engagement giving nurses, doctors, etc free seats
o Goes back to the idea that MLS fans identify with their community more than any
other major sport
Colin
Blue Cross is a very prominent sponsor of Minnesota United
o They are represented on the center of United’s training jersey
o Their partnership created “Soccer Nights in Minnesota”.
o A series of grassroots community celebrations to promote individual and
community health
o Focus on helping young people in the community and developing important life
skills like teamwork, good health, and community pride
o I really liked the relationship of this sponsorship. Blue Cross is a recognizable
brand that does a lot of good for the community, and it also has an emphasis on
helping young people in the community.
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They host positive events; the blue cross is prominently displayed with Minnesota
United, and it is a strong strategic partnership.
Allina Health is another First Team Partner
o Nonprofit health company based in Minneapolis
o Another company that partners with MUNFC to help young athletes in the
community
o “Official Health Care Provider of MUNFC”
Among first team sponsors Grand Casino felt the most pandered to Gen Z
o As the Official Casino and Entertainment Partner for Minnesota United, Grand
Casino also holds the naming rights for the stadium’s Brew Hall. The Grand
Casino Brew Hall will provide a rotating, seasonal menu of fan-favorite food items
and games, provided by Grand Casino.
For potential collaborations the Minnesota Twins are a good option.
o The Twins are a long established team in Minnesota with a strong fanbase.
o Furthermore, the Twins have run sponsorships for Minnesota United night at
some of their games in the past
o Some type of collaboration between the two teams whether it is a Twins night, or
a community night with the teams could be an effective way to grow both brands
Minnesota United overall has a good mix of sponsors, and highlights their sponsors well
specifically those first team sponsors
They host community events, and with sponsorships like Grand Casino, they host
Indigenous People’s Night at some of their games and highlight different communities
within their sponsors.
The events they host are pandered well to Gen Z, but none of their first team sponsors
are pandered very well to Gen Z
Target is a nationally recognized brand obviously which is a very good sponsor, but
adding a new sponsor to their first team partners more pandered to Gen Z could be an
effective way to reach those audiences.
When I was researching, I found that Minneapolis/St. Paul was ranked as the secondbest city for Gen Z people to live. https://www.kare11.com/article/news/local/breakingthe-news/minneapolis-listed-as-second-best-us-city-for-generation-z/89-6386b407-d7d741f3-ab51-411bc4041afe
The market is certainly there and MUNFC should be able to capitalize on this with the
right sponsors.
Jake-
Part 1:
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No mention of sponsors on Instagram
You can see the Target logo on fronts of their jerseys.
Stadium name, “Allianz Stadium,” is an advertisement on its own.
BodyArmor sponsor but BodyArmor doesn’t do too much advertising.
Apple TV, Target, and Seat Geek ads at the top of their website (very good advertising
location).
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According to a study by Nielsen Sports, 83% of sports fans feel more positive about a
brand when it supports a sports team or league. These sponsorships help out both parties
as the companies gain more fans because they are sponsored by teams and the teams gain
lots of revenue.
Part 2:
Prime Hydration
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Logan Paul 26.8 mil on Instagram, 6.8 on Twitter, 23.6 mil on YouTube
KSI 13.2 mil on Instagram, 8.9 mil on Twitter, 24.1 mil on YouTube
Combined for 103.4 million followers across the three platforms which means the audience is
huge, therefore resulting in major recognition for the team.
Prime already sponsors Arsenal, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich. Minnesota United would be the
first MLS team sponsored by Prime.
Optimum Nutrition
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Sells protein, vitamins and supplements geared towards athletes and people who are active
(perfect for their fans because they are watching athletes so there is a relation.)
They already sponsor some pro teams like England Rugby and Ireland’s Leinster Rugby
Smaller company for sponsorship so it gives MNUFC a chance to help ON grow their company
as well.
Other Minnesota Sports Teams
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These wouldn’t be sponsorships but rather collaborations.
Mariners, for example, did a Gonzaga night, with tickets priced at $35 and $53 with $5 from
every ticket sold getting donated to an endowment that benefits kids in the Seattle area afford
GU. This would work well with students at the University of Minnesota and reach the Gen-Z
audience.
YouTube TV
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According to Nielsen Fan Insights, the number of fans using social media for sports news or
content rose 83% from September 2019 to January 2021 (https://nielsensports.com/with-fewerfans-at-stadiums-brands-are-shifting-their-sponsorship-strategies-to-digital/)
YouTube TV is a great way to get views as YouTube is a very popular social media platform
across the world. And as the percentage of fans that get sports news and content from social
media only seems to rise, there’s no better way than to partner with social media companies to
grow their following.