Caterpillar amplifies brand to broader audience with Major League Soccer sponsorship

In the Cat Trials 12: No Hands video, DaMarcus Beasley is shown successfully kicking a soccer ball into the bed of a moving Cat 794 AC autonomous mining truck

Caterpillar is now sponsoring Major League Soccer (MLS), the fastest-growing sports league in North America, in a move to broaden the brand’s appeal to a more diverse audience.

“Caterpillar is eager to partner with Major League Soccer, as we share a joint commitment to being leaders in the communities where we live, work and play,” said Yvette Morrison, global director of marketing and brand for Caterpillar.

“We celebrate the people who do the work every day and are constantly looking for new ways to engage with our next generation of employees, customers and their families. This sponsorship provides a perfect opportunity for us to introduce Cat to a broader audience.”

The multi-year sponsorship is designed to amplify the Caterpillar brand to a broader, more diverse audience in the U.S. and Canada, and to engage with the League’s passionate fans more deeply. MLS has the highest percentage of millennial and multicultural fans of any U.S. sport, the company said. 

“Caterpillar is a leading, global brand and Major League Soccer is honored to partner with a company whose values and dealer network are committed to building a better, more modern future for soccer communities across the world,” said Carter Ladd, executive vice president of brand alliances & consumer products at MLS.

“Together, MLS and Caterpillar will engage long-standing customers and the most diverse fanbase in all of sports to positively impact the sport of soccer in the U.S. and Canada.”

MLS features the youngest and most diverse player pool of any of North American professional sports league with players from more than 82 countries. The sponsorship of MLS supports Caterpillar’s efforts to evolve the brand, and ensure the company is representative of the many employees and customers it serves.

As a part of the sponsorship, MLS will collaborate with Caterpillar to integrate Cat products into the soccer ecosystem. Cat dealers will also have access to exclusive soccer experiences for their operators and customers as well as their families.

Cat Trials 12: No Hands features former MLS player to spotlight autonomous machines

To assist in highlighting the new sponsorship, Caterpillar recently released the latest video in its Cat Trials series. In Cat Trials 12: No Hands, former U.S. soccer player DaMarcus Beasley is seen taking on an obstacle course that features autonomous machines from its product line.

The Cat 794 AC autonomous mining truck and the Cat 299D3 semi-autonomous compact track loader both feature in the video, along with a host of other machinery from Cat.