Been feeling something like this for a while but wasn't able to put my finger on what was missing, so thanks for articulating it. Out of interest, are there any clubs you think are nailing it (or on the right path at least)?
I would've said Venezia after they set Bureau Borsche loose on their look, but the club's output has become much more generic of late.
Appreciate that Peter. Venezia had a moment, but style without story only carries you so far. There’s been some good work out of Arsenal, especially with Adidas in the mix. When the club’s identity and the creative align, it lands. Still rare though.
👏🏼 Clubs need a Chief Brand Officer to stay relevant beyond the pitch and the results. Someone that speaks culture, revenue and sport. Joining up merch, player stories, heritage (please don’t drop yet another throw back kit) and content.
Brand drives everything and you’re absolutely right about marketing being an amplifier of noise without meaning.
Epic post as usual.
Psst, if Arsenal want to contract me for the job… let them know I’m available.
Thanks Carolynne. Agreed! And honestly, I actually think Arsenal are ahead of most. Strong leadership at the top who actually get brand, identity, community. When that lives in the boardroom, everything else starts to click. Still room to grow, but they're playing a different game to most.
There's been an explosion of ‘agencies’ in recent years.. everyone with a DSLR and a deck calls themselves one. Most can shoot a nice campaign, few actually understand brand, creative or culture. In-house or out-house doesn't really matter. It’s about whether you can feel it. The strategy, the storytelling, the cultural touchpoints. That’s what most are missing.
That is why we launched our creative bureau focused on sports clubs. After several experiences with different football clubs in France, we realized that most clubs operate with short or mid-term revenue goals in mind, without really thinking about how to build long-term territorial dominance.
We genuinely believe that every club has its own unique assets they should be using to their advantage.
Take your example: has Tottenham ever truly explored the history of its neighborhood? Do they collaborate with local and non-league clubs? What does the local demographic look like? How many fans do they have around the world, and where are they based?
So many questions that still seem to go unanswered..
A football club's identity comes out of the geographical community its based in. It's deeply weird that people seem to have forgotten this.
Thanks for this. Amazing cheers from Athens city of Panathinaikos
Been feeling something like this for a while but wasn't able to put my finger on what was missing, so thanks for articulating it. Out of interest, are there any clubs you think are nailing it (or on the right path at least)?
I would've said Venezia after they set Bureau Borsche loose on their look, but the club's output has become much more generic of late.
Appreciate that Peter. Venezia had a moment, but style without story only carries you so far. There’s been some good work out of Arsenal, especially with Adidas in the mix. When the club’s identity and the creative align, it lands. Still rare though.
👏🏼 Clubs need a Chief Brand Officer to stay relevant beyond the pitch and the results. Someone that speaks culture, revenue and sport. Joining up merch, player stories, heritage (please don’t drop yet another throw back kit) and content.
Brand drives everything and you’re absolutely right about marketing being an amplifier of noise without meaning.
Epic post as usual.
Psst, if Arsenal want to contract me for the job… let them know I’m available.
Thanks Carolynne. Agreed! And honestly, I actually think Arsenal are ahead of most. Strong leadership at the top who actually get brand, identity, community. When that lives in the boardroom, everything else starts to click. Still room to grow, but they're playing a different game to most.
Spot on.
Is this the result of club's using agencies to produce and do stuff for them? Giving it a third party means losing something, intangible?
There's been an explosion of ‘agencies’ in recent years.. everyone with a DSLR and a deck calls themselves one. Most can shoot a nice campaign, few actually understand brand, creative or culture. In-house or out-house doesn't really matter. It’s about whether you can feel it. The strategy, the storytelling, the cultural touchpoints. That’s what most are missing.
That is why we launched our creative bureau focused on sports clubs. After several experiences with different football clubs in France, we realized that most clubs operate with short or mid-term revenue goals in mind, without really thinking about how to build long-term territorial dominance.
We genuinely believe that every club has its own unique assets they should be using to their advantage.
Take your example: has Tottenham ever truly explored the history of its neighborhood? Do they collaborate with local and non-league clubs? What does the local demographic look like? How many fans do they have around the world, and where are they based?
So many questions that still seem to go unanswered..