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Advertising: U.S. Soccer’s Rebranding Gets an Assist From Virtual Reality

For almost two years, the United States Soccer Federation fiddled with the redesign of its most conspicuous symbol: the red, white and blue crest adorning the jerseys of the men’s and women’s national teams.

But when it finally came time to unveil the new crest, the federation, the national governing body for soccer, elected to largely bypass the traditional news media. Its announcement on Monday will instead be delivered directly to fans via a more immersive experience — one that involves Google Cardboard, a virtual reality promotional video and a United States Soccer Federation scarf.

The federation is hoping that this unorthodox approach will help draw more attention to its first major rebranding since 1995.