In their natural states, local football clubs are just
that-local. Wolverhampton, West Midlands,
England is not a global tourist destination, nor is it an English tourist
destination. It should, therefore, not
be a surprise that Wolverhampton Wanderers are not a globally renowned football
team. However, there are local clubs that
have morphed beyond their boundaries to become global entities. The city of Manchester is not normal. A city that boasts a global football club is
special. A city that boasts 2 is a bit
strange. Manchester, England is at a
footballing crossroads. They now have two
powerful teams, one seemingly on the rise and the other fighting
regression. Manchester United and
Manchester City represent history against modernity as Manchester City seek to
(as some have accused) buy their way to the success that Manchester United
built organically over the course of decades.
In today’s world, is branding and messaging a viable route to bypassing
the building of history?
Manchester City was founded in 1880, 2 years after Manchester
United under their original name, Newton Heath LYR Football Club. Despite the similarities in age, the two
Manchester clubs have had significant differences in history and success. United have amassed 20 league titles, 12 FA
Cups, 5 League Cups, 3 European Cups, 1 Cup Winner’s Cup, and 1 Europa
League. Although successful in their own
right, City’s trophy cabinet cannot compare to United’s. City boast 5 league titles, 5 FA Cups, 5 League
Cups, and a grand total of zero international honors. During their histories, United have had world
class players who have starred at international level and managers who’s achievements
are the stuff of legend. Sir Bobby
Charlton, who captained England to their lone World Cup title, made more than 600
appearances for United. Wayne Rooney,
who is England’s all-time international goal scorer, played 13 seasons for
United. Other United legends include manager Sir Alex
Ferguson, David Beckham, Peter Schmeichel, Eric Cantona, Cristiano Ronaldo,
etc. City’s list simply is not cut from
the same cloth, although they are arguably creating more modern legends in the
Guardiola era.
In 2008, Manchester City was bought by Sheikh Monsour bin
Zayed Al Nahyan and things have not been the same since. Sheikh Monsour boasts an individual net worth
of 17 million dollars and his family fortune is listed as more than a
trillion. Since taking ownership, Sheikh
Monsour has pumped money into Manchester City so much that UEFA have looked
into Financial Fair Play regulations on multiple occasions. The
takeover resulted in a turning of the tides in Manchester as city have pipped
United to the title, the first time taking place in the final seconds of the
final game of the season…on goal differential.
City’s rise also coincided with the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson and
United’s inability to replace him. Since
Ferguson’s retirement, United have stagnated.
In that time City brought in Pep Guardiola as manager and he has gone on
to change City into a football machine.
In June 2016, Manchester City became the first football team
to launch a Facebook Bot messenger service.
Upon launch, it was advertised that users would receive updates on social
buzz, transfer news, and pep talk. The
service also included specific match-day messaging key-events and video
highlights. City’s senior vice president
of media and innovation shared his happiness for fans, stating that they were “delighted
to provide another digital first for Manchester City”. He further described messaging apps as becoming
one of the most important ways to deliver content directly to fans. Manchester
City’s plan to overcome United’s history is simple, become the team of the future. City CEO Ferran Sorriano expressed his desire
to change how City are perceived around the world by “changing the story”. Sorriano’s belief is that children become fans
of a particular team because of family or because the team is doing well at the
time and that the child will not want to change clubs anymore. Sorriano’s idea is to install themselves in a
way that makes kids want to be fans of City by being the team that plays the
best football. Although the strategy has
worked and vast improvements have been made, in terms of football clubs with
the highest revenues, City is 4th behind Real Madrid, Barcelona, and
Manchester United.
Manchester City continue to exploit the latest tech in order
to engage with its fan base. Of course,
the fan base today is more than just the local supporters. In engaging with supporters, City have
identified 3 separate groups: regular match goers, national followers, and
global followers. City are continuing to
experiment with new ways to reach fans outside of the local area and in doing
so have been involved in some exciting innovations. During the 2017-2018 season, City were the subject
of an Amazon Original Series, All or Nothing. I recently watched the series and found it
compelling, it was an amazing thing to watch even for a neutral such as
myself. I recall watching it and
thinking how great it was to watch football content that was beyond an actual
football match. Other messaging
platforms include the relaunch of the Cityzens (not a typo) digital membership platform that
provides a personal experience for subscribers.
When new members sign up they receive personal messages from City coach
Pep Guardiola. City have even entered
the realm of augmented reality by launching a VR app. The VR app and 360 technology was used during
City’s recent League Championship parade and viewers could actually feel as if
they were on the bus-top with the team.
The use of tech does not stop with VR.
City have even have a free app for children called Man City Kids that is
tailored to the next generation of City fans.
Manchester City’s achievements in the use of technology and
digital messaging have been amazing to see unfold. City knows that they will never have the
history and traditions to match their cross-town rival. Even though it took a stroke of luck by being
bought by an owner with unlimited funds, City have done something truly amazing. They have discovered that they no longer need
to try to replicate United’s history and culture, rather they can focus on
today and tomorrow by using technology that will last a lifetime. United’s history is alive and well, much of
it in analog form. In the long run, City’s
may turn out to be eternal, much assist being credited to money and
technology.
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