Caterpillar to sponsor Major League Soccer
By Adam Freill
Construction Equipment LeadershipAgreement aims to introduce the Cat brand to the next generation of doers.
Caterpillar recently announced a multi-year sponsorship with Major League Soccer (MLS), the fastest growing sports League in North America. With the highest percentage of millennial and multicultural fans of any American sport, the sponsorship is designed to amplify the Caterpillar brand to a broader, more diverse audience in Canada and the United States and to engage with the League’s passionate fans more deeply.
“Caterpillar is eager to partner with Major League Soccer, as we share a joint commitment to being leaders in the communities where we live, work and play,” said Yvette Morrison, global director of marketing and brand for Caterpillar. “We celebrate the people who do the work every day and are constantly looking for new ways to engage with our next generation of employees, customers and their families.”
“Caterpillar is a leading, global brand and Major League Soccer is honoured to partner with a company whose values and dealer network are committed to building a better, more modern future for soccer communities across the world,” said Carter Ladd, executive vice-president of brand alliances and consumer products at MLS. “Together, MLS and Caterpillar will engage long-standing customers and the most diverse fanbase in all of sports to positively impact the sport of soccer in the U.S. and Canada.”
MLS features the youngest and most diverse player pool of any of North American professional sports league with players from more than 82 countries. The sponsorship of MLS supports Caterpillar’s efforts to evolve the brand, and ensure the company is representative of the many employees and customers it serves.
As a part of the sponsorship, MLS will collaborate with Caterpillar to integrate Cat products into the soccer ecosystem. Cat dealers will also have access to exclusive soccer experiences for their operators and customers as well as their families.
Caterpillar recently collaborated with MLS in development of Cat Trials 12: No Hands, which features U.S. and International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) World Cup soccer legend, DaMarcus Beasley, teaming up with autonomous Cat equipment to make a trick shot. The Cat Trials 12 video can be viewed at http://www.cat.com/trial12.
