Major League Soccer’s Full-Funnel Blueprint for Converting Viewers to Fans

Check out our new podcast ‘Ripples’ on Microcultures from the links 🔗 below 👇

• 🎙️ Listen on Apple podcasts here
• 🎧 Listen on Spotify here here

In this episode, Eric sits down with Radhika Duggal, CMO of Major League Soccer, to discuss the league’s explosive growth and unique approach to sports marketing in the United States. Radhika brings insights from her time at household-name brands like JP Morgan and Pfizer, revealing how a data-driven approach helps MLS turn viral moments (like Lionel Messi’s arrival) into real, long-term fandom. She also shares why “customer obsession” is crucial in sports—especially as Gen Z and new digital habits transform the way fans consume and connect with their favorite teams.

From the balance of art and science in modern marketing to building genuine internal culture, Radhika explains how soccer is uniting people both in stadiums and behind screens, making MLS one of the most interesting “challenger” leagues to watch—no matter which sport you prefer.

▶️ Watch the video version of this episode: https://youtu.be/VLnp9neNIBA

📚 Chapters

• (00:00:00) – Intro 🎙️
• (00:03:59) – Radhika’s favorite challenger brand 🏆
• (00:07:08) – Overview of Major League Soccer ⚽
• (00:10:00) – Consumer behavior and data-driven insights 📊
• (00:20:45) – MLS’s playbook to growth 📣
• (00:29:28) – Balancing data, humanity, and team culture 🤝
• (00:39:48) – Lightning Round ⚡

🖊️Mentioned in the Show:

• Modelo’s recruiter campaign
• Bain Values Pyramid (Framework for consumer-facing value)
• Liquid Death (Challenger brand)
• Apple TV – Major League Soccer Season Pass

Scratch is a production of Rival, a marketing innovation consultancy that develops strategies and capabilities that help businesses grow faster. Scratch is hosted by Eric Fulwiler, and he’s joined by Radhika Duggal of MLS in this episode.

Find Rival online at www.wearerival.com, LinkedIn, Twitter. 

Find Eric on LinkedIn,

Find Radhika on LinkedIn.

Say hi at [email protected], we’d love to hear from you.

Rival is a marketing consultancy for brands that want to challenge convention in their category. We’re on a mission to understand what challenger brands do differently to grow in categories that are being disrupted, and use a challenger playbook to deliver outsized impact through an integrated, tech-enabled approach. Past guests include CMOs from Mastercard, GE, Shell, Hyperloop, Adobe, PepsiCo, and Papa Johns.

If you’re interested in learning more about marketing from successful CMOs, we compiled a list of the top 5 CMO podcasts to listen to in 2024; check it out here 🔗  https://www.wearerival.com/content-hub-articles/cmo-podcasts-you-cannot-afford-to-miss-in-2024