The 2019 Sounders vs. Timbers game was Zulily’s first time as a Matchday sponsor, and the goal was to increase overall brand awareness with the 60k fans in attendance.

This match is the most highly anticipated and attended game of the season. The rivalry among the two teams is unique and both teams’ previous marketing campaigns have aimed to provoke each other in a playful and funny way.

The video taps into this rivalry by opening on two very serious teams pitted against one another. Then, it takes a playful turn when the camera zooms out to reveal the players wearing inflatable pool floats. The contrast between the seriousness of the game and the ridiculousness of the pool floats makes for an unexpected video filled with hilarious vignettes.

The video appeared before the game, during half-time, and on Facebook where it had the highest view rates of the week.

To tie the video back to Zulily’s business model of offering unexpected items at prices to brag about, the pool floats were featured in a Zulily sales event during the same weekend. Boomerangs of the players wearing the pool floats were shared in Instagram stories and linked to the event to encourage viewers to shop. The each story had an above average reach.

The footage was shot at Starfire Stadium where the Sounders practice. We were lucky enough to partner with the Sounders’ videographer to captured everything in just an hour and a half, and then it was brought to life by our in-house video editor.