Why yellow? It’s not because of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Crew know they have a diverse fanbase in Columbus, with supporters of various NFL teams. Nearby professional sports teams shouldn’t influence the Crew. However, marketing requires considering the audience, which in this case includes areas without teams like Pittsburgh and Cleveland. Choosing Pittsburgh’s yellow and black was a bold move.
Are the Columbus Crew popular? In Columbus, yes. Online and across Ohio and Pennsylvania, not so much. In terms of MLS attendance and finances, they do well, but there’s room to grow beyond the fans at Historic Crew Stadium.
What can be done to improve this? According to YouGov, they are quite popular, but this doesn’t align with their appeal outside the arena.
Despite being the seventeenth most popular soccer club worldwide, the Crew lack significant attention in the United States. Perhaps America just isn’t that into soccer.
Events like the CONCACAF Champions Cup can boost public interest. Winning such tournaments can help, but so far, it hasn’t significantly increased their fame in Cleveland or online.
The Crew are owned by the Haslams, who also own the Cleveland Browns. Why haven’t they successfully connected the fanbases? It might be a missed marketing opportunity for both teams.
A uniform change could help. The current yellow resembles the Seattle Sounders FC and Pittsburgh teams. Incorporating Cleveland orange or Buckeye/Guardian red might be smarter. However, they should definitely keep the popular emojis.
