This past Sunday, the moment that Manchester City had been waiting for all season, finally arrived. Led by manager Pep Guardiola, the team won the Premier League trophy after a draw against Huddersfield. With only two more games in the league to go, the team is still hoping to break the record for the most goals, wins, and points in a single Premier League season.
With all its success, Manchester City has proven to be one of the most popular English teams. The club is still not on the same playing field as Barcelona or Real Madrid in terms of popularity; however, Manchester City is certainly working towards it. As of late, Manchester City is more than a team– it’s a brand, and it’s this kind of thinking that is pushing the club to be known more internationally.
Manchester City cares about its local fans, but if the team wants to become a greater soccer powerhouse, they will need a much larger fanbase. Therefore the team is spreading themselves far and wide, specifically through branding. Their digital and content strategy team has been working hard. They’ve been looking for ways to allow the fans to better connect with the club and what’s a better solution to this than constantly filming the players? Instagram videos have become a staple as a result, as has the “tunnel cam” which films players right before the start of each game. The video cameras are always on whether it’s in the locker room, at training, or on the field during game days. An Amazon documentary crew also followed the players around throughout this past season.
All of this is done with the purpose of giving fans a more personal experience and allowing them to become better acquainted with ManCity. It seems simple. Engaging with fans leads to a larger fan base. However, Manchester City’s content strategy team has four specific reasons why their method of madness has been so effective. The first is that the production quality always meets the standards of the fans. This includes everything from stories and interviews, to the graphics and presentations.
Second is being smart with influencers. Instead of just using celebrities and players, the content strategy team has also reached out to Youtubers and soccer content producers alike who have their own audiences.
Next, is the merging of both the men’s and women’s team in regards to branding. Instead of keeping the teams separate, the content strategy team advertises the teams together. Manchester City’s Women’s Team is just as impressive as the men’s team, which in turn has led to the content strategy team investing a lot towards both groups. So it makes sense they would market both teams. This also allows further exposure for the women’s team. In a world where it sometimes seems only the men’s teams matter, this is actually a noble thing ManCity is doing.
Lastly, and most importantly, Manchester City has done an excellent job of attracting a global audience. They’ve achieved this by translating their content into a variety of languages. For example, their web content alone has been translated into 13 languages. Additionally, the content strategy team has offices in a variety of countries. Not to mention, just last month, the club signed on to a multi-year partnership with Tinder. So watch out Real Madrid, ManCity is coming for ya!
