Seattle Sounders FC Ad Campaign
Posted by John Keatley | Filed under Advertising
There it is. My very first billboard. This is the inaugural season of the Seattle Sounders FC, the newest expansion team in MLS. Seattle is getting fired up about our soccer team, and it’s fun to be a part that excitement. The ad agency I worked with was Wexley School For Girls, which I always enjoy working with.
Now I know what some of you are thinking. Did he paint those people in the background? No. That would have taken way too long. We ended up using a cartoon modeling agency, and hired a few dozen cartoon models to stand in the background. Ok, that’s a joke. To give credit where credit is due, Rachael Ludwig is the artist who created the background art. I shot three scenes for this campaign. Fan with a scarf, fan with a flag, and crazy Sounders fans banging on a drum. The ads will be used for billboard, transit, print, and online.
The shoot was at Quest Field, home of the Seahawks and Sounders. Since we were there, I figured I would maximize my time, and take care of some additional business. I have been intending to try out for the Seahawks special teams, so they gave me a quick look. Here are some pictures from my open tackle and field goal trials. And a quick video from the photo shoot.
Lots of screaming in this video. Soccer fans are crazy!
Tags: Ad campaign, Advertising Photographer, Billboard, MLS, Quest Field, Seattle Soccer, Seattle Sounders, Seattle Sounders FC, Soccer, Soccer Fans, Sounders Billboard, Sounders FC Ad Campaign, Wexley, Wexley School For Girls
21 Responses to “Seattle Sounders FC Ad Campaign”
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Kim Hayes Says:
March 3rd, 2009 at 11:53 amnice! congrats on the billboard! looks like you might have a shot at the “special” team.
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Ray K Says:
March 3rd, 2009 at 1:29 pmCongrats I know I will be seeing a lot of the ads.
After last year you may have a chance at the Seahawks team. -
Brian Says:
March 3rd, 2009 at 1:42 pmIt looks like Gabe’s feet actualy left the ground when you tackled him. People at home are missing the cymbal crash sound effect. It was a nice touch.
Thanks again for shooting these - great collboration.
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John Keatley Says:
March 3rd, 2009 at 11:26 pmYes, the cymbal was pretty amazing! It added a certain theatrical flair as I put my back out. But it was worth it. I left it all out there on the field.
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GoSounders.com Says:
March 4th, 2009 at 6:44 amGreat stuff!
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TGos Says:
March 4th, 2009 at 7:52 amGreat work!
Just in case you get to do anything like this again, you should know that with one phone call, you could have 50-100 screaming Sounders fans to fill the frame, all of whom would love to be on a Sounders billboard, even in cartoon caricature.
Some even come ready equipped with rave green mohawks.
Cheers
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KT Says:
March 4th, 2009 at 11:10 amGood stuff!
Hope you get to go to a game!
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Sounders Insider Says:
March 4th, 2009 at 11:53 amBrilliant ad campaign. Great work here. I posted your blog on my Sounders Insider Facebook page and Twitter You should feel great about the work you have done and being part of launching the best franchise in MLS! : )
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John Keatley Says:
March 4th, 2009 at 11:56 amThanks a lot guys. And thanks for linking to me on your blogs, Facebook, and Twitter! Go Sounders!
TGos: Thanks a lot for the offer. We actually did have some people from Emerald City Supporters at the shoot. You can see them in the video clip at the bottom. Scott Buschen was one of them I believe.
KT: I hope I get to go to a game too. Wow, I can’t believe how fast tickets are selling. I didn’t even think to ask about tickets when I was on this project. Oh well. Hopefully I will be able to find at least one at some point.
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Bertrot Says:
March 4th, 2009 at 6:46 pmYou might have a shot making the Special ED team. But your enthusiasm is undeniable. Well done. You have my vote. Where do I vote.
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Brad Says:
March 4th, 2009 at 7:03 pmMy first billboard too! Everyone keeps calling me about seeing my mug around town. Thanks!
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Dave Says:
March 6th, 2009 at 7:01 amWell, after watching the video I can see how the “Sounders” got their name!
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Weekend Perusing: Geeky New Media | Your Photo Tips Says:
March 6th, 2009 at 8:19 am[...] big congratulations to John Keatley who got his first billboard ad campaign up. Very cool to see one of your photos on a giant billboard, [...]
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Rachael Ludwig Says:
March 15th, 2009 at 5:01 pmHi. My name is Rachael Ludwig and I am actually the freelance Illustrator, who was hired by WSFG to illustrate the background on all of these ads. Just FYI there was not a “cartoon modeling agency” or “a few dozen cartoon models”. I actually created the background crowds for each of these ads by hand, using Photoshop and a Wacom. Please check out my website at http://www.rludwigdesign.com.
Thanks and great photography!
~Rachael -
Hot News » Sounders Fc Says:
March 22nd, 2009 at 6:14 am[...] [...]
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Hot News » Seattle Sounders Says:
March 22nd, 2009 at 6:52 pm[...] [...]
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John Keatley Blog » Blog Archive » Read This Blog And Win $10,000 Says:
April 2nd, 2009 at 10:57 pm[...] what I do”, and that always seems to bring about the best end product. Same story with the Sounders FC ad campaign that I recently shot. Go Sounders by they way! [...]
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John Keatley Blog » Blog Archive » Wexley School For Girls Says:
August 5th, 2009 at 12:06 pm[...] have a couple of earlier posts about ad campaigns that I have shot with Wexley. (Here) is the post about the Seattle Sounders FC billboard I shot earlier this year, and (here) is the [...]
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DIY or Prefab? Portland, Seattle and Success in American Soccer Culture | Pitch Invasion Says:
August 9th, 2009 at 2:49 pm[...] DIY culture down the road. Seattle’s initial success was the result of expensive marketing. John Keatley’s blog is an insider’s look that innocently enough details a stage of the campaign in which, since there [...]
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jed Says:
August 14th, 2009 at 11:06 pmYeah, there was a posting made to all the ECS guys and an email was sent out before the season started, they only wanted about a dozen people. So I know most of the people in the ads, too bad I was busy that day.
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John Keatley Blog » Blog Archive » Sounders FC Goalkeeper Kasey Keller Says:
February 25th, 2010 at 9:11 am[...] (Here) is a post with video and pictures from the Sounders billboard I shot last season. [...]
