An OG Approach to PR

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Ahead of the 2023 Major League Soccer season, the Colorado Rapids launched a history-making, secondary jersey called the New Day Kit. 

Co-designed by Denver-based artist Pat Milbery, the New Day Kit featured a bright, geometric pattern inspired by Colorado’s sunrises and sunsets, along with Milbery’s distinct street art style. It was the first time in league history that a team collaborated with a local artist on the design of its jersey.

More importantly, the Rapids also partnered with Mental Health Colorado and UCHealth to add a community engagement component to the jersey launch, using it as a platform to bring attention to the current mental health crisis in Colorado, reduce the stigma of seeking help and amplify awareness of public resources.

The jersey's two unique elements underscored the importance of properly communicating its story to the public. 

To accomplish this, my media relations strategy employed the three pillars: 

Education:

• Press release
• Jersey explainer/narrative card
• Talking points & fact sheet
• Embargoed jersey preview (see below)

Engagement:

• Media Preview Event — Two days prior to  launch, the club hosted more than two dozen local media to a private reception where they got an embargoed preview of the New Day Kit and received custom media boxes with their own jersey to keep, along with other New Day-themed items
• Delivered over 50 media boxes with New Day jerseys to local and national media

Ease of Access:

• Distributed media resources in advance on embargo, including the press release and images + video/B-roll of the New Day jersey for editorial use

Check out some samples below of the resulting coverage from the jersey's launch: