The Campaign Idea: Make Pennsylvania the World Cup “Home Base”

With FIFA World Cup 26 approaching and Philadelphia confirmed as a host city, Visit Pennsylvania’s challenge is straightforward: international fans may fly for the matches, but they still need a reason to stay longer, explore more, and spend beyond game day. Ardmore’s solution is to turn Pennsylvania into the obvious “home base” for World Cup travel—anchoring fans in Philadelphia while inviting them to discover the broader state experience.

Speed as Strategy: Moving Within Hours of the Draw

The campaign’s timing is one of its strongest strategic moves. After the World Cup draw, Ardmore’s integrated teams moved quickly to launch market-specific creative and bespoke digital assets across priority Brazilian and French markets within hours. That matters because sports tourism marketing rewards momentum: the first brands to “claim” the narrative after a draw often own the early planning window while fans start mapping trips, budgets, and travel routes.

Why OOH Was the Power Channel

OOH is the perfect medium for international travel intent because it meets fans in the physical world where travel decisions get reinforced: airports, transit corridors, and major city streets. This campaign scaled into high-impact OOH by taking over key international gateways, including airport media in São Paulo and Paris, plus premium street placements across cities like Rio, São Paulo, Paris, Marseille, Lyon, and more. Gateway OOH does two jobs at once: it builds brand fame and it creates a psychological “permission slip” to travel—especially when the creative is playful and culturally tuned.

Market-Specific Copy That Feels Like Fan Conversation

The creative approach leans into playful, contextual messaging built from social listening. Instead of using one generic line for every market, the work adapts to local passions and calendars. In Brazil, messaging was timed to Carnival energy with a “samba in Philly” invitation; in France, the campaign referenced shared revolutionary history and teased the Independence Day context around Philadelphia’s July 4 match. This kind of localization is more than translation—it’s cultural alignment, which increases both attention and intent.

Beyond OOH: Building Frequency Through Digital, CTV, and Sports Media

OOH created the headline impact, while digital and broadcast-style channels layered frequency. In France, the rollout included sponsorship around Ligue 1 coverage on a major sports radio program (RMC AfterFoot), premium placements in L’Équipe, and large-scale targeted impressions across digital and CTV. This channel mix is smart: OOH sparks awareness, while digital/CTV retargeting keeps the message present as fans move from hype to planning mode.