23/04/2018

Man City & Partners Premier League Title Celebration Led By Low Latency Digital & Social Engagement Drive

Shortly after Manchester City were crowned 2017/18 Premier League champions on 15 April, the club’s digital marketing team jumped into action with the low latency roll out of a set of social media content celebrating the title and using it as an opportunity to increase exposure and engagement.

 

The first social media footage to surface through the official club channels saw captain Vincent Kompany face time players Kevin De Bruyne and Kyle Walker immediately after the final whistle went at Old Trafford – where Manchester rival United’s defeat to West Brom saw the title go to City.

 

 

 

This was followed by a quick-turnaround title-winning message to the fans from the club’s captain.

 

 

The digital and social unit then launched a static set of congratulatory cartoon social media imagery.

 

 

 

City’s marketers also rolled out a set of 30-second highlight videos for the first team players on the club’s platforms,

 

 

 

 

and on the player’s own channels too (accompanying the player’s personal reactions and comments).

 

 

 

 

As well as supporting individual static imagery for the squad players who have been less involved this season which were posted by the players on their own channels and then amplified by the club.

 

 

 

The videos and imagery that players had posted was then retweeted and turned into various edits and highlights via the clubs official account.

 

 

 

Other strands ranged from a speech to staff and players from the manager himself,

 

 

a series of pre-prepared pieces ready to go that ranged from an on-stadium projection,

 

 

to promoting its Champions product range ready to roll out on the day the title was confirmed.

 

 

These were further supported through the club’s ongoing, animated ‘Beautiful Football’ social series which continued the online celebrations.

 

 

 

Other fan-focused strands of the title winning celebrations including a competition to win a place on the team bus during the trophy parade,

 

 

and another to win a Champions 18 team shirt.

 

 

By the time the club played its first home match after winning the title, other strands of the marketing team has already put their own celebratory assets in place.

 

 

The club also amplified its sponsors and partner celebrations too.

 

 

Among City’s official partners who celebrated the title win in low latency were EA Sports,

 

 

and telecommunications company Etisalat (which produced a minute-long video that went viral with over 5m views).

 

 

Comment:

 

As well as helping to emphasise the collective team spirit that Manchester City strive for, this carefully pre-prepared, multi-strand celebratory series drives fan engagement and interaction around the world.

 

Something only possible when a marketing team has time to prepare such an extensive array of assets due to the fact that City had virtually secured the title weeks ahead of the season’s climax.

 

Interestingly, this initial celebratory marketing burst is notable for the lack of (cynical), revenue generating assets designed primarily to drive either shirt or ticket sales.

 

A thoroughly impressive performance from Pep Guardiola’s expensively assembled squad: one which topped the table back in September at the start of the season and have seemed virtually unstoppable ever since (only losing twice in 33 games).

 

No wonder the team’s players and marketers celebrated.

 

This is one of the most comprehensive, low latency title celebration campaigns the Activative team has seen – impressice stuff.

 

All it is missing is that single, central, blockbuster emotional asset that will go down in sports marketing folklore: like Budweiser’s brilliant 2016 ‘They Did It Harry’ spot when the Chicago Cubs finally won the MLB World Series after a century of waiting (see case study).

 

Links:

 

Manchester City

https://www.mancity.com/

https://www.youtube.com/mancity

https://dugout.com/ManCity

https://www.linkedin.com/company/manchester-city-football-club

https://www.facebook.com/mancity

https://twitter.com/ManCityWomen

https://twitter.com/mancity

 

 



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