Here in Toronto, the season has ended for a few of our major league sports teams, but with the end of some comes the beginning of others. The Toronto FC, our new Major League Soccer team, has just begun its second season following a blockbuster debut in 2007. Last summer was filled with sold out games, fanatic fans who occupied full sections of the stadium, and copious amounts of beer consumed. The team was launched very successfully and the market was obviously ready and willing to embrace a football club of their own (historically, the city goes nuts for World Cup soccer, as practically every country represented has a healthy community here).This year, BMO is sponsoring the team again (they play at BMO field, a state of the art soccer stadium newly built on the Canadian National Exhibition grounds) and has just launched a GTA-focused marketing campaign created by Cossette Communication-Marketing. The campaign consists of television, billboards, transit ads and posters. The ads are packed with strong images of warrior-like fans and exude the pride and enthusiasm with which the city has embraced the team. The television ad being aired on CBC, is very strong and emotional as well. I may be a sucker for these types of things, but it kinda gives me the shivers. In a city that is known for subdued crowds for concerts and sporting events, it’s refreshing to see some fanaticism in the stands and also reflected in the branding. Go FC Go! (And way to go, BMO and Cossette!)