Do you ever find yourself scrolling through Instagram or TikTok and get tired of the influencer ads that are in your face? There has to be better ways to represent brands that aren’t in a forced manner. Well, the Portland Thorns have mastered creating content for local sponsors by not making it in your face. Portland loves women’s soccer like no other city and the Thorns have created a Rose City Connection.
One important aspect to running a social media page for an organization is ensuring you are reaching your target audience. Post content tailored for fan engagement while still reflecting the values of the organization. The timing of posting content is also key. Another important aspect is partnering with brands that relate to your target audience. The Portland Thorns have many sponsors and partnerships like TikTok, Key Bank, Dutch Bros, Aviation Gin and many more. Today, I would like to highlight two sponsors and one local business that is a huge fan of the Thorns.
Dutch Bros
If there is one place people love in the PNW, its Dutch Bros. A deal was announced in 2019 making“Dutch Bros Coffee as the exclusive coffee, cold brew and energy drink of the Timbers and Portland Thorns FC.” Dutch Bros does more than just pay for sponsored content, they collaborate on a number of community outreach programs like soccer clinics. They also have their logo on warm up apparel for the Timbers and Thorns.
The Thorns did a fun collaboration with a local Dutch Bros drive-thru, where players got to be “broistas”. An initial Instagram Reel was posted on National Coffee Day where three players: Sam Coffey, Taylor Porter and Morgan Weaver were pouring cream into a coffee to reveal lettering on the cup. The post hinted at more “broista moments” by asking followers to stay tuned.
A few weeks later, a video was posted of Thorns players working at Dutch Bros with the caption: “assisting you on the pitch and off the pitch for your caffeine needs”. In the video, Thorns players: Sam and Taylor were inside making coffees for customers. Morgan was outside taking customer orders and also handing them Thorns’ scarves. Morgan thanked customers and asked them to come to their match later that week. This was a purely fun video to watch while being “sponsored” content. It was a great way of promoting Dutch Bros, the Thorns and their game that week all at the same time.
Aviation Gin
Aviation Gin is another official partner of the Portland Thorns. There was sponsored content posted over the summer on the Thorns’ socials for Aviation Gin that were hilarious to watch. The promo video for the Thorns tour at Aviation Gin made me giggle because of the players’ personalities. They came out of Aviation Gin rehearsing what to say for the promo video while being recorded and of course mistakes were made, but that’s what made the promo video entertaining. It had me tuned in for the next post.
The next post was like a vlog of several Thorns players on a tour at Aviation Gin where they learned how the distillery makes their gin. It was insightful to learn about the distillery while also seeing the players’ personalities behind the scenes. Thorns’ player Hannah Betfort was an absolute character throughout the whole video and kept me watching because she was so funny. I don’t usually drink gin, but after watching that video, I would like to check out Aviation Gin and give their drinks a try.
Powell’s Books
A trip to one of Portland’s iconic bookstores, Powell’s Books. What better way to get the local community excited as the Thorns are gearing up for the start of the season. Powell’s Books is a huge supporter of the Thorns and allows them to use their store to create content. Maintaining a good relationship allows Powell’s Books to get free media and exposure from the Thorns’ social posts. In return, the Thorns can use the store in the future for things like promoting their upcoming season. In the midst of teams making moves with players during the off-season, Portland Thorns’ free agent Becky Sauerbrunn announced her return on Instagram. The announcement was subtle and hinted towards fans. The Thorns posted on Instagram a picture of the Powell’s Books sign with “Portland, I’m back.”
The next day, the Thorns posted an announcement of re-signing free agent defender Becky Sauerbrunn to a one-year contract. Several pictures and videos of Becky inside Powell’s with her Thorns gear on were posted throughout the day. Fans engaged in the comment section guessing what player it could be and many were correct because of how much they are invested in the player/their interests. Several comments mentioned: “It has to be Becky” or “She loves reading”. I found this to be an intriguing way to mesh two staples of Portland together while also focusing on the importance of announcing Becky’s return for another season.
Sponsored content does not have to be boring or in your face influence media. The Thorns have a particular style of how they run their socials and that is why their content has great fan engagement. They do this by maintaining good relationships with local businesses and sponsors while still keeping the organization’s identity. Keeping up with trends and communicating with fans is a strong way to maintain engagement. The connection between the Thorns and the city of Portland is like no other.
Girlboss 
Leave a comment