Breaking into Cincy 

When FC Cincy came to us with the goal of increasing awareness and fan engagement, we knew we had to position the team as a cultural powerhouse. It was more than becoming an unstoppable force in the MLS, it was about winning the hearts and minds of Cincinnatians.  

Our process began with research. We delved into Cincinnati’s rich heritage of sports, art, and culture to help shape the team’s core identity pillars. We asked ourselves: What made Cincinnatians proud? What were they passionate about and what could a relatively new sports team add to their lives? 

With that in mind, we developed an existential brand guide detailing FC Cincy’s identity and core values, while also establishing a cohesive brand persona across digital and social.  

From there, the established brand identity helped inform an omnichannel strategic playbook that would maximize FC Cincy’s 2023 playoff run through social, OOH, paid media, experiential marketing, PR, and more. 

The Results

With the playbook as a guide, STN helped FC Cincinnati capitalize on its most critical tentpole moments, including their schedule release, Messi’s arrival in Cincinnati, a kit reveal, their playoff clinch & performance, and more. Our creative team elevated their content production game, delivering dozens of innovative and unique assets, such as the top-performing 2023 schedule release. 

Fans couldn’t help but be drawn into the FC Cincinnati narrative, making tens of thousands of additional engagements throughout 2022-23.