In 2026, New York Life saw an opportunity to tap into the unprecedented energy surrounding soccer in the U.S. and build meaningful cultural relevance during one of the biggest sporting moments in the world.
Rather than compete through traditional event branding, New York Life identified an ownable space rooted in its partnership with U.S. Soccer and its 180-year belief that no one succeeds alone. “The Assist” was created as an enterprise storytelling platform celebrating the coaches, mentors, teammates and family members behind some of U.S. Soccer’s most recognizable players, reinforcing New York Life’s brand promise, “More Powerful, Together.”
The campaign set out to build brand awareness and cultural relevance by surrounding the World Cup conversation through authentic storytelling rather than official FIFA rights. Specific goals included reaching new audiences at scale, generating meaningful earned media, creating sustained engagement across paid, owned and social channels, and translating the campaign’s message into tangible community impact.
Most importantly, the objective was to create something with relevance beyond the tournament itself: a platform connecting New York Life’s brand purpose to the universal idea that progress is rarely achieved alone, a concept that resonates in global football more so than any other discipline outside of financial services.
New York Life turned a sponsorship limitation into the campaign’s strategic advantage.
Rather than trying to mimic an official World Cup sponsor, “The Assist” focused on a story New York Life could authentically own: the people behind the players. The campaign launched May 28 ahead of the tournament and centered on USMNT players Tim Ream, Tyler Adams and Matt Turner, who shared deeply personal stories, anecdotes and memories about the coaches, mentors, teammates and family members who helped them reach the highest level of the sport.
That storytelling became the foundation for an integrated campaign spanning media, digital, experiential, community and employee engagement.
A dedicated Assist digital experience housed the player stories, while paid and organic social, real-time match content, player collaborations and targeted media kept New York Life connected to the soccer conversation throughout the summer. The paid strategy deliberately surrounded the cultural moment without paying the premium associated with official FIFA or broadcast rights, using social, YouTube, Bleacher Report, NBCU/Telemundo, Morning Brew, and OneFootball to reach audiences contextually.
Earned media took a similarly tailored approach. Rather than relying on a single campaign announcement, outreach was customized for national and lifestyle media, sports outlets, community publications and marketing trades. Human-interest stories emphasized the people behind the athletes, while executive thought leadership explored New York Life’s broader strategy. The result was coverage spanning USA TODAY, Men’s Journal, Upworthy, Sportico, Campaign US, eMarketer, MediaPost and others.
The idea also moved from storytelling into action. Through the New York Life Foundation’s Coaching the Future, a $15 million, three-year commitment to developing coaches and mentors,“The Assist” demonstrated that mentorship was a long-term organizational belief rather than simply a campaign message. Four youth and coaching clinics extended that commitment into communities across Orlando, Las Vegas, New Jersey and Houston.
Internally, employees became participants through fireside chats, immersive experiences and the “Share Your Assist” advocacy campaign.
The challenge was clear: New York Life could not rely on FIFA rights to command attention. Its solution was to build an authentic narrative strong enough to earn its place in the cultural conversation and execute that narrative consistently across every touchpoint.
“The Assist” demonstrated that a non-official sponsor could achieve significant reach and cultural relevance during an extraordinarily crowded World Cup marketing moment.
The campaign generated 72 earned media placements and more than 260 million estimated monthly unique visitors, including 15 original articles, 28 USA TODAY syndications and 24 Men’s Journal syndications. Coverage crossed national consumer, sports and marketing audiences, with placements including USA TODAY, Men’s Journal, Upworthy, Sportico, Campaign US, eMarketer, MediaPost, Brand Innovators and Cynopsis.
Paid media delivered 207M+ impressions, 49M+ people reached and 111M+ video views, while a YouTube brand study measured a 4.4% awareness lift — 3.7x the benchmark. The campaign also drove more than 216,000 unique visitors to "The Assist" experience, 86.7% of whom were new visitors.
Beyond media metrics, “The Assist” translated storytelling into real-world impact through four youth and coaching clinics and the New York Life Foundation’s $15 million commitment to developing coaches and mentors.
Ultimately, success was not defined by a single placement or impression number. “The Assist” proved New York Life could turn the absence of official FIFA rights into an opportunity, earning attention through authentic storytelling, increasing brand awareness and creating a platform designed to live beyond the World Cup.
