In 2023 Apple TV+ signed a 10-year worldwide exclusive broadcasting deal with Major League Soccer. In the middle of the year, news broke that Lionel Messi was joining the MLS – catching the world by surprise. The goal of the campaign was to ride the buzz of Messi’s official announcement with Inter Miami, generating awareness for Apple TV+’s recently signed exclusive partnership. The brief was to infiltrate culture in a simple and impactful way, leveraging social conversation while gaining attribution for Apple TV+. This nimbleness and simplicity came with a very small budget and the direction to tap into existing Apple assets: a billboard in Miami and the brand’s social media owned channels.

At the precise moment Messi officially announced his transfer to the pink team in Miami, Apple TV+ welcomed the G.O.A.T. with a billboard featuring cute, glorious pink goat emoji and the message “Now on Apple TV+”. This simple and visual solution was enough for sport fans to connect the dots and understand the billboard was talking about Messi on Inter Miami. A picture of the billboard was shared on social media, taking the conversation to a global level and getting everyone talking about Messi and Apple TV+.

Emojis became the universal language of our age. We can say pretty much everything with them, including "who is the Greatest Of All Time”: a cute GOAT emoji. That’s the icon Messi’s fans use to talk about their idol. Until rumors of his transfer to Inter Miami started floating around social media. Messi fans immediately started calling him “the pink GOAT”. By painting the GOAT emoji in the colors of Messi’s new team, we talked directly to a hoard of sports aficionados, making it spread rapidly and everywhere you can possibly imagine. In just a few hours, the whole world was aware that now Messi was on Apple TV+.

A single board with three words and an emoji, crafted to be puzzling, witty, and to stand out in the worldwide conversation around one of the most important football transfers in history. The placement was carefully chosen, in downtown Miami, but the real magic happened a the moment people photographed and shared the billboard online, reaching more than 100 countries. Timing was crucial, as the billboard was put up on the day of Messi’s official announcement. As a result, the picture of the billboard traveled together with the news, reaching a billion viewers globally in an instant.

1B people reached in over 100 countries.

6,600,000 in earned media.

A spike in subscriptions for the exclusive MLS content on Apple TV+.

One of the most engaging Apple TV+ posts ever.