Having been a long fan of the South Korean legendary defender, Y.P. Lee, the last night’s retirement match against the Colorado Rapids was an absolutely stunning experience.  After 13 years of his illustrious playing career, Lee retired with the Vancouver Whitecaps – “a great team,” as remarked by the player – which had seemingly put in an enormous amount of effort to recognize and appreciate Lee’s remarkable career path.

Putting aside all the honorary respect he received from his teammates and fans, Y.P. Lee was recognized by the Vancouver Whitecaps through its various marketing efforts. Lee’s face was printed on the ticket and the official pamphlet. The Vancouver Whitecaps’ official website was filled with articles related to the player’s career life. Posts about Lee’s retirement game covered the Whitecaps’ facebook page. Videos related to his contributions were uploaded to youtube. Throughout the match were shown videos of the player, with captions in Korean in appreciation of his Korean fans.

The Vancouver Whitecaps’ marketing effort was truly amazing. It attracted so many new fans to the season’s last match. Many South Korean soccer fans who had little interest in the Whitecaps before attended to fill up the stadium, and many of them really appreciated the Whitecaps’ recognition of their favourite player. That is, the team has successfully targeted a new market segment.

Personally, it was my first time ever visiting a Whitecaps game. My ticket was definitely more than what I was initially willing to pay, but I did not want to miss Lee’s retirement game. When I went to watch the match, I really enjoyed the environment as well as the team’s effort to appreciate who I believed really deserved it. Simply put, it was a great experience and I returned home a fan of the Vancouver Whitecaps. I obviously have been a target of the team’s marketing efforts, and truthfully it has done a remarkable job.