After the first American Pontiff was announced to the world, the public was quick to assign Pope Leo XIV a baseball team. As a native of Chicago, Pope Leo XIV was wrongly claimed by the North Side as a fan immediately after his appointment. However, his brother confirmed that he is indeed a White Sox fan in an interview just hours later. Not only is he a White Sox fan, but he attended Game 1 of the 2005 World Series at U.S. Cellular Field.
Due to that deep connection coupled with a global conversation, the front office quickly organized a response and took a multi-platform approach to ensure we were a part of the conversation in as many mediums as possible. The Pope’s connection to the ballclub and instant virality on social media raised an opportunity to introduce new fans to the White Sox and bring together the community.
The new Pope grew up in Chicago and the Chicago Cubs quickly claimed him as a Cubs fan on their iconic Marquee. Quickly, word spread through social media that the American Pope might not be a Cubs fan after all. After the Pope's brother confirmed in a WGN interview that he was actually a White Sox fan, we revelled at the opportunity and reacted quickly.
As a team, we understood how influential the Pope is around the world. We viewed this as an opportunity to spread appreciation and connection. We began a posting strategy that included an immediate response on our own scoreboard, announcing him as a White Sox fan alongside a personalized jersey and video of his brother confirming his fandom. This was done to create a clear message while also throwing a little humorous shade at our northern neighbors for claiming him too quickly.
Throughout the weekend that followed the announcement, we took advantage of the viral content and fan excitement. Utilizing both in-stadium fandom and social media engagement to interact with fans locally and across the globe. Some examples of this included:
Replying to social media comments and posts
Posting fans in Pope costumes
Using specific "Pope-themed" copy on game highlights and other posts
Utilizing user generated content, owned content and resources like Getty Images, we were able to share the Pope's connection to the White Sox across all owned and operated platforms. This allowed us to reach fans around the world of all demographics and introduce the White Sox brand on a global scale.
While in the final stages of production for a four-part series on the 2005 World Series team, we quickly created a new trailer, not only for promotion but to highlight the Pope’s attendance during that historic season.
The front office worked together with multiple departments across the organization to give fans an experiential opportunity while at the ballpark. Through creating a tribute to the Pope via a wrapped brick wall in the section he sat and a plaque on the seat he would have sat in, fans, the White Sox, news outlets, and the Chicago Archdiocese were able to create content and continue the conversation surrounding the Pope’s fandom.
As the season progressed, we continued to utilize the Pope’s fandom as more news arose. Anything that had the Pope and the White Sox involved, we were on it:
A photo of the Pope wearing a White Sox cap
Trading of autographed jerseys between Paul Konerko and the Pope
A video of the Pope telling a fan “They lost” after they shouted “Go Cubs”
Our goal with this campaign was to highlight the Pope's fandom to our team while also showcasing the relatability between White Sox fans and one of the most influential human beings on the planet.
After the Pope was announced a White Sox fan, we saw the following increases compared to the prior week:
247.3% increase in Impressions
293% increase in Engagements
255.3% increase in Shares
472.7% increase in Followers
38% increase in overall brand sentiment
We also saw success in the following key metrics:
44 posts resulting in 25,421,640 Impressions, 2,085,071 Engagements, and 2,707,623 Video Views
82.5M Total U.S. TV Audience and 2.79B Total Global Online Audience totaling an estimated publicity value of $56.8M.
8.2% Engagement Rate compared to the White Sox social media channels average of 4.6%
Saw social media interactions from over 58 countries
