BEST NEW PLAYER / CONTRACT SIGNING REVEAL CAMPAIGN
o Bolton Wanderers Football Club
After a dark and difficult period in its long history, Bolton Wanderers is a club full of renewed optimism for its future and the next chapter of its journey.
A busy and exciting January 2022 transfer window presented an opportunity for the in-house media team to celebrate this and to effectively deliver content to bolster the feelings of growing pride, joy and hope in the fan base.
The challenge for the small in-house team was developing and delivering the sheer volume of content to support the announcements of seven new player signings and to execute this with creativity, attention to detail and within the usual unpredictable deadline timeframes.
o Birmingham City Football Club
The long-awaited signing of boyhood Bluenose, Troy Deeney, signified a huge moment for the Club and its supporters. Not many players get to represent the Club they have supported their entire life and Troy’s ‘Homecoming’ called upon players past and present who have trodden that very path. An emotive teaser provided the perfect platform for Troy to stroll out of the player’s tunnel and onto the very pitch he had dreamed of playing on as a young supporter. The Club went back to his Chelmsley Wood roots, depicting a young Deeney in a Birmingham City shirt and showing his path from parks pitches to the professional game. With the help of Birmingham music artist Jaykae, Deeney was interviewed on the pitch and given a heroes welcome as he embarked on a move many thought would never happen. Such is Deeney’s profile, the transfer announcement smashed previous records for reach, engagement and views.
o Chelsea Football Club
In August 2021 Romelu Lukaku, one of the most prolific strikers in European football, returned to Chelsea Football Club, the club he supported as a young boy and had previously been at between 2011 and 2014. The reunion between the Belgian and Chelsea and his journey in between provided a unique angle for any creative work regarding the announcement campaign. At Chelsea, we want our signing announcements to go above and beyond the usual launch asset and the Lukaku campaign showed how Chelsea successfully collaborates across internal departments, making the best use of its creative, broadcast and marketing expertise while also working with one of world’s biggest full-service entertainment companies to deliver an elevated signing campaign.
o Leeds United Football Club
After failing to sign Daniel James during the January 2019 transfer window, which was documented in the award winning Amazon documentary ‘Take Us Home’ – Leeds United finally signed Dan James during the Summer 2021 transfer window, putting an end to one of the longest transfer sagas in the club’s history.
The release featured a video reveal resuming where the Dan James saga ended – eventually transitioning to an on-brand (21/22 LUFC creative) reveal featuring Dan in the Elland Road concourse lit by club colours.
We also had the opportunity to bring in the ‘lost content’ from his failed transfer two seasons ago. The use of previous imagery alongside current photos helped bring the saga to an end where the club, the player and the fans were all satisfied with the end result. James’ signing video generated 18,495,790 impressions, 1,948,155 engagements whilst also generating £354,731 in earned media value for commercial partners associated with the transfer assets.
o Manchester City Football Club
In August 2021, Manchester City Football Club announced the signing of England international Jack Grealish on a six-year deal. The players first ever move and a record-breaking signing for the Club and in British football, the transfer was the signature moment in the Clubs summer business.
Producing the announcement of the most expensive signing in British football history whilst under strict COVID-19 restrictions wasn’t easy but the Club managed to capture the imagination of the player and our fans. From capturing the moment the player found out he got the number 10 shirt, worn the previous season by club legend Sergio Aguero to producing an in-depth behind the scenes look at Jack’s every move and revealing Jack in-person to fans outside of the Etihad Stadium, we wanted to give our fans the ultimate inside view and fully involve them in one of the most exciting signing’s for the club.
o Partick Thistle Football Club
Tiffoney: I think he’s a loan now … that was the running joke when Partick Thistle signed Scott Tiffoney on loan in March 2021.
Then, Thistle were slumped in sixth place in Scotland’s third tier, falling eight points behind leaders Falkirk a month of the most extraordinary season left to play.
This was the club’s lowest point, even after a year during which they suffered demotion via a controversial vote, were awarded funding that disadvantaged them to the tune of £350,000 and had not been able to welcome a single supporter to a game in 12 months.
Then along came Tiff. Just six weeks on from his arrival, the Jags stormed to the League 1 title, largely inspired by the winger who assisted and scored relentlessly, including a strike in the 5-0 title clincher against rivals Falkirk.
The clamour to sign him grew. And when it happened, it led to the most successful piece of content in the club’s history.
I said what about – we’ve signed Scott Tiffoney.
Ya beauty!
In Thistle supporters’ eyes Scott Tiffoney is one in a million.
And a million – and then some – is just how many lapped up the signing announcement of the summer.
o Rangers Football Club
Rangers Football Club have entered the Football Business Awards 2022 Best New Player / Contract Signing Reveal Campaign category. When faced with the crucial decision of appointing a manager in November 2021, Rangers were able to successfully land Giovanni Van Bronckhorst, former Rangers player and now manager. In their new manager signing reveal campaign, Rangers displayed great pride at having van Bronckhorst return to the club.
