As the Rio 2016 Olympics began the USA Women’s National Team rolled out a series of creative animated films to help fans get to know the players.
An introductory spot introduces the series.
Charming and personal, each video tells a true story about each player that reflects their personality and character and their journey to the Olympic team.
For example, Megan Rapinoe talks about the childhood bond she shares with her twin sister,
Crystal Dunn discusses how she overcame her anxieties about being short as a young soccer player;
while Meghan Klingenberg talks about her college soccer team’s successful attempt to break in to a late night basketball event at the University of North Carolina.
The series aims to engage fans ahead of Rio, build closer relationships between supporter and soccer star and to drive support for the Olympic competition.
The videos – featuring all 18 squad players and coach Jill Ellis – series has been produced by USA Soccer and Calabash Animation studios in Chicago.
They are hosted on the US Soccer side’s website and posted on the team’s YouTube channel.
Other spots include Hope Solo,
Alex Morgan,
and Morgan Brian:
‘We have so many die-hard fans, but during the World Cup and Olympics, we have more of what we call a red-white-and-blue fan. Patriotism plays a big part [in the reason they watch],’ said Neil Buethe, US Soccer’s director of communications.
‘They may not know as much about the team and the players, so we wanted to introduce players to those new fans in an entertaining way. For the Olympics, we wanted to make that connection again.’
‘All of the players have great personalities, and they’re always sharing stories about how they got to the national team: stories from the road; stories with their teammates,’ Buethe added.
The objective is that the videos allow the fans to get excited about the Olympics and get to know these women who have captivated the nation.
Part of USA soccer’s aim of keeping enthusiasm for soccer and excitement around the team high.
‘We’re always trying to get those fans tuning in for the first time to follow the sport throughout the years through the leagues around the country,’ Buethe said.
‘Campaigns like this also help inspire young players to be where those national team players are now.’
Comment
In addition to the animated series, the US Women’s National Team rolled out a ‘behind The Crest’ web series as the Games got under way.
The USA Women’s side celebrated a wonderful 2015 World Cup and aim to continue its winning run at the 2016 Olympics.
Links
USWNT Web:
http://www.ussoccer.com/womens-national-team/2016-wnt-animated
USWNT YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/user/ussoccerdotcom
Calabash Animation:
