Why Major League Lacrosse Turned to Troika/Mission Group for a Visual Rebrand

When Sandy Brown took the reigns as Major League Lacrosse commissioner, he knew a few changes needed to be made.

On the marketing front, the biggest alteration is yet to come with a complete visual rebrand for the league. This will include a new logo, a new website, and new league-branded apparel along with a new look for all marketing and communications materials for the league.

We have partnered with @troikaLA for our rebrand!

Read the full story👇https://t.co/Mf7ucuG7MQ

— Major League Lacrosse🥍 (@MLL_Lacrosse) November 14, 2018

Naturally, this is a fairly large undertaking considering the league has been operating under the same logo and branding since its founding back in 1999. While some fans will always have an affinity for the original, it was time for a change. MLL Director of Marketing Carrie Gamper explained why.

“On the old logo, you can see the helmet, and the player is a little bit out of date and it doesn’t necessarily connect to how the game has grown leaps and bounds since the time of the league’s inception. We want to make sure that where we are and where we’re going is reflected in the new branding.”

READ MORE: The New Direction of Major League Lacrosse 

To get this project done, MLL has brought in Troika/Mission Group, a brand consultancy and creative agency. Troika’s previous sports-rebranding and promotion work has included projects with the NFL, ESPN, UFC, and the PGA. Notably, Troika created the PGA’s current slogan “Live Under Par,” which was included in a larger brand campaign that helped reenergize professional golf among younger fans. This campaign was a big selling point for MLL as it decided on Troika from four agencies.

“With that ‘Live Under Par’ campaign, they were able to remain true to the organization’s history while marrying it with this new, fresh, young, energized, digitally focused brand that they are,” Gamper said. “That also enabled them to engage younger fans and current golfers in new and exciting ways. Given who our core audience is and who our athletes are, that got us really excited to work with them.”

[mc4wp_form id=”8260″]

Troika will be working off data gathered in a Nielsen study among MLL fans that was completed over the course of the 2018 season. It was this same study that convinced MLL’s leadership that a rebrand was the right step in the first place. The Los Angeles-based agency seems ready for the challenge.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Major League Lacrosse on the rebrand,” said Dan Pappalardo, president of Troika. “It is an opportunity to reinforce MLL’s legacy as the beacon of the lacrosse community, and position the league for the future.”

READ MORE: Major League Lacrosse is Turning to Digital Assets to Grow the Game

Troika/Mission Group and the league office, as well as MLL’s nine teams, will work hand in hand to establish new brand standards that will factor into all of the league’s new marketing materials. Fans can expect these new materials to start rolling out just prior to the 2019 MLL season, which begins on May 31.

“The support and guidance that Troika has been able to give us have been fantastic,” added Gamper. “The feedback and support we’ve gotten from our partners, sponsors, players, and owners have been overwhelmingly good. It’s an exciting thing to be a part of. We couldn’t be more excited to show everyone that new brand in 2019. It’ll look great and be a great beacon for the sport.”

Follow Major League Lacrosse on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to watch its visual rebrand unfold.