When the FIFA Club World Cup arrived in the New York metro area, New York City Football Club found itself on the outside looking in. Since it isn’t affiliated with the tournament, NYC’s local club wasn’t part of the conversation in its own hometown while the world’s soccer spotlight was fixed just across the river at MetLife stadium.

The brief: stop people in their tracks, spark pride in the club, and get everyone talking about NYCFC during the Club World Cup.

Channelling the grit, resilience and unapologetic spirit of New Yorkers, the idea for the activation revolved around NYCFC’s unofficial mascot: the pigeon. New York City’s iconic resident became the face of a showstopping guerrilla activation: the Five Borough Flight. A 700 pound, five-story-tall inflatable pigeon that would float past all five boroughs, capturing the attention of visiting soccer fans and locals alike.

We crafted the messaging strategy and a plethora of branded graphics that would roll-out before and then alongside the activation, helping to amplify every moment. In the weeks leading up to the event, NYCFC teased the activation with pigeon-related content, activating at CWC events, and sending pigeons kitted-out in NYCFC gear all around the city. On street corners and in social feeds, these smaller pigeons were a hint of something big to come. 

Then, during the Club World Cup finals, the secret was revealed as the pigeon took flight. First inflated in Staten Island, the pigeon began its journey floating by the Statue of Liberty, then heading up the Hudson River where it would pass MetLife Stadium and draw the attention of soccer fans on both sides of the river. It sailed all the way up to the tip of the Bronx and back again before heading east past the five boroughs that make up NYC before ending its journey at Etihad Park in Willets Point, Queens, the future home of NYCFC. Throughout the journey, thousands of fans tuned in to watch the Five Borough Flight from the pigeon’s-eye-view live stream, available on NYCFC’s website.

As the pigeon glided past each borough, NYCFC fans and onlookers were invited to join the celebration by sharing their encounters with the pigeon. The internet lit up with images of the NYCFC pigeon against iconic city backdrops, uniting fans from Staten Island to the Bronx in a citywide moment of pride. The Five Borough Flight also got picked up by the press, landing features in a number of NYC-focused news outlets and beyond in publications like Adweek, AdAge and TimeOut.

Within just the first 24 hours, the NYCFC pigeon had reached a total audience of 357 million, well beyond New York City’s 8 million residents. Through bold creativity, meticulous planning, and a deep understanding of what makes New York tick, Tavern helped NYCFC disrupt the Club World Cup conversation and give New Yorkers a reason to look up, smile, and feel proud of their club. In a city of five boroughs and millions of stories, this giant pigeon became one more legend—one that reminded everyone of the FC made in NYC.

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