Football fans strolling along the River Thames this week might have been forgiven for rubbing their eyes when stumbling over a traditional London ‘black cab’ that was, distinctly, not black.

Instead, the predominantly red-hued machine bore the familiar colours and logo of the Kansas City Chiefs, as the multiple Super Bowl winners activated their first UK-based brand initiative since being added to the growing list of teams with international marketing rights on this side ‘of the pond’.

The one-off design was unveiled on The Queen’s Walk, a pedestrianised stretch of the Thames’ south bank between Westminster and Blackfriars bridges, as part of a programme of events designed to increase its presence and recognition in the UK.

“Our fan base in the UK and Ireland continues to grow at pace and, as more fans pick and follow a favourite team, there’s a major opportunity for both the NFL and clubs like the Chiefs to build lasting connections and engagement,” NFL UK & Ireland general manager Henry Hodgson commented.

The Chiefs have now successfully applied for marketing rights in a league-high seven global regions, aiming to build on their recent dynastical success to bolster an international fanbase.

“We’ve tried to take a similar, but tailored, approach per market,” EVP and CMO Lara Krug told Sportcal at the launch. “In Germany, we were one of the first clubs there, and we took a ‘first mover’ approach [whereas] in Mexico, where we are one of many clubs there, we took a ‘social and digital first’ approach, and now have brought on some partners there.

“I think, when we look at the UK, we know that the league and many other clubs have been here for quite a while, so I think our approach here is around making sure that we connect with the British fans and then find the right opportunities with partners that want to help grow our brand and the sport as much as possible. We see this growing opportunity from an audience perspective, and 57% of our fans are female, [which] certainly unlocks a whole new opportunity for brands who might want to be getting into this space, but have not thought about sport in that traditional way. I think we’ll certainly be open to many different conversations and taking the best of what’s been working in some of the other countries.”

With regular appearances in ‘primetime’ games and recent inclusion on the fixture list for high-profile holiday games over Thanksgiving and Christmas, the Chiefs are aiming to capitalise on both their success and popularity as the NFL expands to seven International Series games in 2025, kicking off with KC facing AFC West rivals Los Angeles Chargers in Brazil on the opening weekend of the campaign.

“We do plan on activating around every single international game,” Krug confirmed. “So, while we may not be playing in all the games, we do plan on bringing an activation to Dublin, London, [Madrid], Berlin and Brazil while we are there. We do want to show up [and] I think that’s been our biggest lesson, just looking at other clubs. If you only activate when you’re playing a game, it is going to take a very long time for your brand to resonate with fans. I think our approach [has to be] frequency and consistency.”