BMO Financial Kicks off Partnership with Football Star Alphonso Davies to Help Grow the Game

BMO Financial Group, the bank of soccer, is celebrating Canada’s continued emergence in the world’s most popular sport with a new campaign featuring one of the country’s global superstars.

Developed by FCB Canada, the ‘#BMOGrowTheGame’ campaign is built around seven spots featuring the BMO banker (played for the past three years by New Girl actor Lamorne Morris) alongside Canada men’s national team member and FC Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies - who recently inked a five-year deal as a BMO soccer ambassador.

The production took place in Alphonso’s hometown of Edmonton, Alberta at a local pitch where he used to play. Following the shoot, BMO hosted a practice clinic for local youth players and surprised them with Alphonso as their coach.

“Being a part of this campaign was a great start to my partnership with BMO, and getting to surprise the kids at the clinic in my hometown was even better,” says Alphonso. “I am excited for what’s to come.”

The campaign is intended to showcase BMO’s continued commitment to soccer at both the grassroots and professional level. BMO was the first major bank to heavily invest in soccer sponsorship in Canada and has been doing so, at all levels. Since 2005 BMO has committed more than $25 million to growing the game.

“BMO’s partnership with Alphonso Davies reflects our mutual commitment to growing the game of soccer in Canada and inspiring the next generation of youth,” said Catherine Roche, chief marketing officer, BMO Financial Group. “Our campaign reflects our passion as the bank of soccer.”

BMO sponsors more than 70 clubs representing 920 teams and approximately 13,000 youth players every year across Canada. These sponsorships, of various club academies, have led to the development of athletes who are thriving in the game at various professional levels.

Starting in September, the campaign will run in paid media including MLS and World Cup broadcast, YouTube and Twitch. Each video features the BMO banker and Alphonso demonstrating their respective skills: banking and soccer. In addition to the :15 ads, there are 15-20 pieces of content from the BMO youth clinic developed for social channels including Twitter, TikTok and Instagram.

“Combining the world of finance with the world of football is naturally funny but what makes this campaign shine is the chemistry between Alphonso and BMO,” said Jeremiah McNama, executive creative director at FCB. “The end result is smart and playful, while demonstrating BMO’s dedication to the game.”

The campaign comes as Canadian soccer is enjoying a moment on the world stage.