• by Karl Greenberg , May 7, 2008

Volkswagen of America, Inc. last month moved into its new headquarters in Herndon, Va., just outside of Washington, D.C. Besides laying bricks and mortar, the company is also putting down sponsorship stakes. 

The company, late of Auburn Hills, MI, has signed a five-year sponsorship deal with Major League Soccer (MLS) team D.C. United. It has also signed a deal that makes it the official car of MLS. As part of that deal, VW gets MLS league and collective team marks and logos and marketing assets at league events such as the Pepsi MLS All-Star Game and MLS Cup, Major League Soccer's championship game. Major League Soccer comprises 14 teams in the U.S. and Canada.

The deal with the Washington, D.C. team puts Volkswagen's logo on the D.C. United team jerseys. VW also gets signage and marketing opportunities at game venues. Volkswagen's jersey sponsorship element makes the company the first group to adorn the front of United's shirt in club history. United will debut the new uniforms on national television Thursday night when the club hosts the Chicago Fire.

Volkswagen programs at RFK Stadium include Volkswagen Garage, a hospitality area and vehicle showroom behind the north goal with space for 1,000 people. The exhibit includes things like soccer-based car games, FIFA Xbox 360 stations, and branded merchandise.

"Volkswagen's proactive involvement with D.C. United helps us establish a significant presence in the greater D.C. community and the Mid-Atlantic region--strategically important markets for our brand," says Volkswagen spokesperson Steve Keyes.

He adds that D.C. United is one of the premiere teams in MLS, and that soccer's fan base in the U.S. is on the rise. "Volkswagen is a global brand that is planning for significant growth in this market. The company has strong ties to soccer through its German roots," he says. "VW owns VfL Wolfsburg, a Bundesliga club, and has its logo on that team's uniforms, per Keyes, who says VW holds a 50% share of the team's six-year-old stadium.

Keyes says the soccer fan base is a good VW match: it has more amateur participants than either football or baseball, with 75% under the age of 18; and the average MLS viewer is 39 years old. He says that 30% of MSL fan base is Hispanic and 45% of the attendees.

David Cope, who in December started as SVP of business development for D.C. United, says the team now has 40-50 sponsors, including Corona, Burger King, Verizon Wireless and Geico. "But this is the first of its kind: we have sold jersey sponsorship." He points out that while jersey sponsorship is common in other nations, it is relatively new in the U.S. Volkswagen's logo will be about six inches in diameter.

Cope says 16 to 20 of D.C. United's games are carried on Comcast SportsNet, and that D.C. United and the Los Angeles Galaxy appear on national TV on channels like ESPN2, Fox Soccer channel, ESPN Deportes, and Telefutura. "Every one of our games is televised somehow, some way."

VW has a local media package with the team on Spanish and English radio, and will likely have a media package with its MLS sponsorship. People driving to United's opener on Thursday, against Chicago, will also get complimentary parking, courtesy of VW. Going forward, the first 50 Volkswagens to enter Lot 4 on game days will also be treated to a complimentary spot.