The Vancouver Whitecaps painted the town white Thursday morning in a marketing stunt that saw iconic statues around the city wrapped in the new soccer team’s scarves and jerseys.
The Whitecaps are a month away from making their Major League Soccer debut, the same league that is home to Toronto FC and David Beckham’s L.A. Galaxy.
To build excitement in Vancouver, the 30 days leading up to the team’s debut will see a series of stunts and events putting the Whitecaps’ logo all over town. Ryan McKee, the Whitecap’s marketing manager, and Bill Downie, founder and creative director at its agency, the recently renamed Slingshot (formerly Publicis Vancouver), even took a 6:30 a.m. canoe trip to place a scarf around the neck of the much photographed Girl in a Wetsuit statue in Stanley Park.
Team sponsor Bank of Montreal also created 60-foot-long hoardings in several high-traffic areas. The signs were draped with scarves and, as commuters took them, it gradually revealed the message “30 days ‘til kickoff” and directed them to the website at TheCountdownBegins.ca.
The website will feature a different video every day from well-known locals and celebrities such as Bryan Adams and hockey’s Sedin twins wishing the Whitecaps well. There is also a desktop application available to download which will update a new video every morning, said Downie.
