Ogilvy Launches Debut Major League Soccer Campaign, Talks Year-Long Strategy Powered by Personality

At the start of a momentous year for US Soccer – with North America hosting the FIFA World Cup – Major League Soccer (MLS) appointed Ogilvy USA as its agency of record. Now, ahead of the MLS season start, the agency has launched ‘MLS Is Back’.

Ogilvy’s debut work for the brand kicks off a year-long fan-engagement plan that reflects how North American soccer fandom is driven by live moments, personalities, and community storytelling.

Ogilvy led the overall 2026 marketing and creative strategy for the integrated programme, and aims to convert the heightened interest around the World Cup into new fans and lasting passion for MLS and its clubs.​

As part of the launch of ‘MLS Is Back’, Ogilvy created a social-first campaign, ‘The Call’, starring former basketball player and owner of LA FC, Magic Johnson, alongside MLS stars Son Heung-Min, Matt Freese, Diego Luna, and Joseph Paintsil, as well as social creator Céline Dept. The spot, directed by Reset's Romain Chassaing, turns a training session into a mass group call, capturing the excitement and passion of the players and fans alike.

Social extensions featuring Céline and the MLS players will also be shared across their individual social channels.

“Sports marketing usually defaults to slow motion and epic highlights. That language works, but it’s predictable. We wanted this to feel more human and more now,” says Wes Phelan, creative lead at Ogilvy, speaking with LBB about ‘The Call’

“With Magic Johnson and the players… the real power was their personality. There’s humour in the spot. There’s music. There’s joy. It feels playful and confident, which reflects where MLS is right now.” He explains that the idea was rooted in a simple truth; that when something exciting happens, you call people and get them to join in.

“That invitation became the creative engine. What starts as a training session flips into something bigger and more contagious. And importantly, the fan isn’t just watching the call. They’re part of it. The campaign is literally inviting them into the energy of the season and into the league.

“It’s less about dramatising the sport and more about capturing its spirit,” he adds. “Make it feel fun. Make it feel personal. Make it feel like you’re being asked to join."

The ‘MLS Is Back’ campaign also includes two films, not created by Ogilvy, to promote the opening weekend of the MLS and its ‘Saturday Showdown’ and ‘Sunday Night Soccer’ TV shows. ‘Where the Drama Lives' and 'Sundays Are Made For This' focus more on the emotional viewer experience and show exhilarating clips of soccer action.

IRL experiences and fan activations from other experiential partners will also take place around the season start of MLS. This includes Walmart’s immersive experience at NYA Studios in Hollywood on February 20th, and a mobile ‘Sunday Night Soccer Couch’ activation which will travel throughout LA on February 19th and 20th.

Discussing Ogilvy’s upcoming year of marketing for the league, Rajesh Midha, group global client lead at WPP, tells LBB that the agency is helping take MLS and US Soccer into “an unprecedented spotlight” with the landmark North American World Cup on the horizon.

“What makes MLS unique is that it’s part of that story before, during and long after the tournament. That’s an incredible opportunity for the league and for the growth of the sport overall.”

Working closely with MLS, he shares that Ogilvy started its strategy with what made the league special already: “The quality of play. The personalities. The supporter culture. The spectacle,” he says. “MLS already has passionate fans and incredible players. Our role as partners was to elevate that and shine a brighter light on it.

“At the same time, this is a moment to invite new fans in. Together, we wanted to create real pathways into the league through culture. Through entertainment. Through personality. Through the ways people actually experience sports today.”

With it being a crowded sports year – the Super Bowl just finishing, the Winter Olympics currently taking place and the World Cup in the summer – Rajesh adds that consistency and distinctiveness were all the more important.

“We focused on building a connected platform that resonates nationally, flexes locally, and feels authentic in every market. The ambition was to create something cohesive enough to cut through, but flexible enough to reflect the diversity and energy that already define MLS.”

Jared Lowenthal, executive group director at Ogilvy, adds that while the World Cup will amplify how much this energy resonates with Americans this year, for the MLS, it's not about simply riding the 2026 soccer wave, but shaping it.

“Leading into the tournament, MLS has a real opportunity to prepare fans. Many of the players who will step onto the global stage are playing here first,” he says. “They’re hometown heroes before they’re international stars. That gives the league a powerful story to tell. You can watch them grow here. You can support them here. You can see them before the world does.”

Then after the World Cup, Jared says another major opportunity arises, with the MLS season restarting at the peak of American interest in the sport. “For new fans looking for a place to land, MLS is the natural home. It’s live. It’s local. It’s accessible.”

This positioning will come to life in future MLS initiatives around the World Cup, with Jared describing it as “a before, during, and after strategy”.

The biggest challenge in the US, however, will be competition for attention amidst a vibrant and varied sports culture. Though, Jared believes the personality-forward approach of ‘The Call’ and other campaigns within ‘MLS Is Back’ might just provide the breakthrough needed.

“Fans have endless options,” he says. “So the work has to create emotional connection. When someone feels tied to a player, a club, or their city, that’s when curiosity turns into loyalty.”