Celebrating the Faithful and their passion for the region's oldest professional sports team, the San Francisco 49ers launched on Tuesday the Faithful to The Bay brand campaign to mark the next chapter in the franchise's storied history. Highlighted by a launch video narrated by 49ers legend Keena Turner and the first wave of activations involving nearly every fan-facing platform of the organization, a comprehensive summary of campaign assets, initiatives and exclusive merchandise is now available at 49ers.com/FTTB. The official emoji hashtag #FTTB will go live on Wednesday.
The Faithful to The Bay campaign celebrates the unwavering commitment of the team's fans throughout the Bay Area, Northern California and worldwide. To the Faithful, the 49ers are more than a team, it's a way of life and touchstone for lifelong memories with friends, family and fellow Faithful. Similarly, the Faithful to The Bay campaign will demonstrate the team's commitment to fans both on gameday and year round.
"Faithful to The Bay is more than a motto for the 49ers, it's a unifying idea for the Faithful throughout the world. It embodies the shared commitment our fans and our team have to each other and to our community at large." said Alex Chang, 49ers Chief Marketing Officer. "Together, we all take pride in representing the Bay and the ideals that define us: inclusion, innovation and achievement."
The Faithful to The Bay launch video pairs iconic imagery from across the region with historic moments from team history. The video provides the context and inspiration for the ways the campaign will come to life, including but not limited to:
- Branding: Local residents and avid 49ers social media followers will notice the new Faithful to The Bay signage at Levi's® Stadium, including stadium banners, field wraps and LED signage. The logo – which was inspired by the iconic 49ers satin jackets – will be featured on 49ers.com, the 49ers app and team social channels. Other marketing assets will reflect the spirit of Faithful to The Bay through photography, music and graphics that honor the Bay.
- User Generated Content: Faithful worldwide are encouraged to share their passion and spirit via a social media video of them cheering on the 49ers from home each week for a chance to be featured on the Levi's Stadium video boards during player intros, starting with the October 4th home game against the Eagles. Fans can post a video using hashtag #FTTB for the chance to be showcased and can follow 49ers social handles for future UGC campaigns.
- Exclusive Merchandise: The 49ers have partnered with Mitchell & Ness and Fanatics to develop exclusive Faithful to The Bay branded apparel that will be released throughout the year at Shop49ers.com/FTTB. 49ers partners including Levi's®, Zenni eyewear, The Federalist Wine, Mano's Wine, and Gold Bar Whiskey are also producing limited edition Faithful to The Bay Collections of their unique products.
- Pop Culture: Music fans know the Bay Area has its own unique sound. The 49ers are continuing to collaborate with local music legends E-40, P-Lo, and other local artists in the "Niner Gang" to maintain Faithful to The Bay playlists on Spotify, Pandora, Apple Music, Tidal, and Deezer. Bay Area musicians will also be featured in an upcoming video series presented by Levi's® that spotlights celebrities who are Faithful to The Bay and allows fans to learn more about their fandom and respective career projects.
- Fan Groups: The 49ers are proud to attract a diverse group of fans and the team is leveraging the Faithful to The Bay campaign to provide exclusive content and unique experiences all season long at 49ers.com/fans for members of their fan affinity groups, including Women of the Niners, 49ers Kids Club, and 49ers PRIDE.
- Community Impact: The 49ers Foundation and its direct programs of 49ers EDU and 49ers PREP presented by U.S. Bank – which typically benefit more than 75,000 Bay Area youth per year – will continue expanding their programs across the region. EDU's STEAM education and PREP's physical fitness programs are also expanding online, allowing them to reach youth across the entire Bay Area and beyond.
- Social Justice: The 49ers are embodying the Faithful to The Bay mantra by committing $1M in social justice grants to local and national organizations, all of which operate locally in the Bay Area. Full details will be announced tomorrow.
Faithful to The Bay is a campaign that will build year over year while providing a seamless platform for celebrating other organizational milestones and initiatives such as the franchise's 75th Anniversary in 2021. The Faithful to The Bay campaign is designed to be a customizable and more personal platform born out of the multi-year Faithful Then, Faithful Now marketing campaign that was retired after the 2019 run to Super Bowl LIV.
Faithful owning a keen eye might know that Faithful to The Bay has been in the works for over a year and was first teased back in November when Illuminaries, a Bay Area artist group, partnered with the 49ers to commission a new mural in San Jose donning the words Faithful to The Bay. Another easter egg that diehard members of the Faithful might have noticed is the New Era 2020 NFL Draft Cap, which featured Faithful to The Bay on the side. Fans of the recently released Madden '21 video game by EA Sports may have seen the Faithful to The Bay field wrap for games played at Levi's Stadium.
More specific announcements regarding the campaign will be released in the coming weeks. Fans can expect to find news and original content at 49ers.com and @49ers on social media.
