THE BRIEF
Create demand for Atlanta United’s third alternative jersey and attract new audiences.
THE INSIGHT
Atlanta didn’t need demand for a jersey. Atlanta needed to see itself in a club that finally spoke its language. Atlanta being the hip-hop capital of the world, a graffiti’s canvas, a fashion’s quiet powerhouse, had never seen itself fully reflected in its own soccer club. For the launch of the club’s third kit in 2023, Atlanta United’s Marketing and Digital Content teams, led by Molly Paterno, Kacey Covino and Diego Pinzón, made that possible through social media: reaching beyond the stands, into the niches where the city actually lives. We’re talking fashion communities. Hip-hop heads. Street culture. All united by 404 pride and OutKast’s proclamation from ’95: “The South’s Got Something To Say.” It wasn’t just a product launch, it was a statement on the city’s own reflection.
PARTNERS
- American Family Insurance
- Piedmont Healthcare
- adidas
- Mercedes-Benz
STRATEGY
In partnership with local collective Atlanta Influences Everything, the content mobilized the city’s diverse community while positioning Atlanta as a global cultural reference point. The social-first content ecosystem spoke to music, fashion, activism, and street culture as one unified language. A long-form documentary expanded the story beyond social, reaching audiences that had never before interacted with the club.
THE CONTENT
The content was designed in three phases: TEASE, LAUNCH, SUSTAIN.
TEASE: four days before launch, the kit was intentionally leaked. Rap group Goodie Mob wore it on stage in front of 18,000+ fans at the 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop concert, organized by the Mayor of Atlanta. No press release. Just a viral moment.
LAUNCH: The launch video (below) was narrated by Goodie Mob and closed with a powerful statement from Grammy-nominated artist 6LACK, weaving the city’s music, streets, and next gen of creators. Proof that Atlanta doesn’t follow culture. It creates it. A series of mixed media social-first assets, including carrousels, film photography and aesthetic imagery followed the video.
SUSTAIN: THE STORY BEHIND THE DOCUMENTARY
When we began planning the launch of The 404 Kit, Atlanta United’s third kit for the 2023 season, our guiding principle was clear: this campaign had to reflect Atlanta’s outsized impact on culture over the past three decades. Six months before unveiling, our marketing team aligned around the idea that our content should spotlight the city’s revolutionary influence — from its role in shaping global hip-hop, to its sports legacy, entrepreneurial spirit, and celebration of Black excellence.
Out of that vision, I proposed a long-form documentary as the centerpiece of our campaign. The result was “Inside the 404”, an Atlanta United original production in collaboration with Atlanta Influences Everything. The film featured iconic voices like T.I., Big Boi, Pastor Troy, Killer Mike, Mayor Andre Dickens, Shirley Franklin, and Shanti Das, among others, each speaking to Atlanta’s unique role in shaping the world.
The documentary explores how Atlanta, always destined to influence, seized its moment in the 1990s “Golden Era” to become a global cultural hub. From the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., to OutKast redefining hip-hop, to the 1996 Olympic Games, Freaknik, the rise of the Atlanta University Center, and the city’s position as a crossroads of travel and commerce, Atlanta emerged as the lifeblood of Black youth culture. That influence spread worldwide, fueling music, sports, education, activism, and entrepreneurship.
Today, Atlanta continues to stand as a cultural mecca where music, film, and sport converge to inspire new generations. With “Inside the 404” at its heart, the kit launch campaign wasn’t just about unveiling a jersey, it was about honoring the city that shaped it, and amplifying Atlanta’s story for the world to see.
Alongside the launch of the kit and the documentary, we built a dedicated landing page that tied every element of the campaign together. The page showcased the inspiration behind the kit, detailed the design of the jersey, and featured striking photography with a distinct 1990s aesthetic. It also included biographies of the documentary’s subjects and a long-form written story that pulled fans behind the scenes, exploring both the making of Inside the 404 and the cultural forces that shaped Atlanta’s influence over the past three decades.
When it came time for the team to wear the kit on the pitch for the first time, we extended that storytelling into matchday coverage on social media. Our approach was precise and intentional: we took fans back to the 1990s, blending retro visuals, language, and style to create a matchday experience that felt like an authentic extension of the campaign’s cultural narrative.
We immersed ourselves in a digital time capsule, capturing every moment, from the pre-match buzz to the players warming up and the goals themselves, everything through the nostalgic lens of 1990s camcorders. The content was designed to mimic the grainy, flickering playback of a vintage VHS tape. This was a deliberate choice, with no detail overlooked, and the payoff was spectacular. The incredible result wasn’t just on our screens; it was also on the field, as Atlanta United delivered a stunning 4-0 performance against Nashville.
Credits from the Documentary ‘Inside the 404’:
Executive Production: Atlanta United FC
Producers: Atlanta Influences Everything, Rafael Araica, Daniela Burleyson, Kacey Covino, Scotty Crowe, Molly Paterno, Diego Pinzón
Director: Rafael Araica
Editing: Rafael Araica
Concept and original idea: Atlanta Influences Everything and Diego Pinzón
Script supervisors: Daniela Burleyson and Diego Pinzón
Camera: Rafael Araica, Van Emberger, Edwin Hernandez, Sonya Ivashchenko, Ravi Mody
Creative directors: Tucker Brooks, Jose Hadathy, Diego Pinzón, Sierra Sparre
Talent coordinator & logistics: Sydney Cruz
Photography: Brandon Magnus
Project Manager: Scotty Crowe
Editorial: Diego Pinzón
Social Media & Content Distribution: Daniela Burleyson and Diego Pinzón
Asset Management: Rafael Araica, Holly Vera