• by Karl Greenberg , March 16, 2009

Volkswagen of America is entering into a multi-year deal with Major League Soccer (MLS) and its marketing arm, Soccer United Marketing.

In 2008, the Herndon, Va.-based U.S. marketing arm of Volkswagen signed a one-year program with the league and also agreed to act as presenting sponsor of Washington, D.C.-based MLS team D.C. United. Volkswagen's logo is emblazoned on D.C. United's jersey, and VW has in-stadium marketing programs.

Tim Ellis, VP of marketing, Volkswagen of America, Inc., noted in a release that the relationship aligns with VW's global soccer relationships and builds a relationship with targeted consumers in the U.S, "particularly families, sports fans and multicultural audiences. In addition, MLS's aggressive expansion plans closely align with Volkswagen of America's long-term growth strategy."

Volkswagen will activate with in-stadium, grassroots and national television programs. As part of the deal, MLS will use Volkswagen vehicles for special events and league operations as well as player appearances. Volkswagen will have entry to MLS content-generation platforms, and will have in-stadium exposure, on-site activation at select MLS games and a presence at MLS MVP awards, including full-season, MLS All-Star and MLS Cup recipients.

The new deal also includes new national grassroots programming in partnership with MLS; Volkswagen will also be a sponsor of existing MLS grassroots initiatives, including MLS Futbolito and Sueno MLS. Volkswagen's sponsorship of D.C. United includes a "Volkswagen Garage" at RFK stadium, where VW shows off vehicles, and has loyalty events for owners.

David Wright--VP of partnership marketing for Soccer United Marketing, which oversees marketing for 11 pro soccer properties including MLS and its teams--says the sport has a diverse fan base, and is growing in terms of media reach and audience.

"We now have kids growing up who don't know soccer without MLS." He says there are three major fan demographics: youth and family; multicultural, particularly among Hispanics whose population in the U.S. has just passed 45 million; "and the third is what we call hard-core fans, those who live and breathe our sport."

"To Volkswagen's credit, they did a great job hitting the ground running last year," he adds. He says SUM has some 40 corporate sponsorships, 15 of which are MLS-specific long-term partners. "A long-term partnership lets sponsors take a strategic look at their ownership position, which makes it easier to create a road map."*

Other sponsors include Adidas, American Airlines, Aquafina, Budweiser, Chase, Diageo, Dick's Sporting Goods, Gatorade, The Home Depot, Makita USA, NAPA Auto Parts, Panasonic, Pepsi Co., U.S. Soccer Foundation, Visa, Xbox 360; Corporate Partners--Glidden, Red Bull.

The league has 14 teams now; it will have 15 clubs by year-end 2009 and 16 next year. Wright says MLS has broadcast partnerships with ABC, ESPN, Univision, and Fox Soccer channel.

*Editor's note: This story was amended post-publication.