Positioning the European Club Association
It’s crucial to recognise that every member of ECA holds equal significance within the organisation – whether that is globally famous teams like Paris Saint-Germain F.C. and Manchester United F.C. or (for example) Shamrock Rovers and AEK Athens F.C. Despite the significant attention given to the more prominent teams, it’s vital to ensure that the fundamental ECA initiatives remain at the forefront and not overlooked.
This means that communicating their activities to both a B2B audience – the club game in Europe – and to fans is very important. Through the 2021 to 2023 period, for example, ECA’s Women’s Football Strategy has been central to the organisation’s ambitions. They are aiming to drive up the levels of professionalism, both in terms of the quality of the football and in behind-the-scenes aspects like payments and logistics.
Some clubs are better positioned than others to deliver that change so knowledge exchange is hugely valuable. That might happen at ECA’s General Assembly, a behind-closed-doors event which gathers all the member presidents, CEOs, CMOs and other senior figures every six months.
But it also happens through ongoing collaboration within the membership. AS Monaco recently held the latest instalment of the Youth Football Knowledge Exchange series, a travelling workshop bringing together industry leaders with representatives from smaller clubs to talk about youth recruitment and development.
ECA wants to highlight those projects while also acting as a forum for new ideas and including fans in the dialogue about the future of football. The goal is to position it as the go-to authority for any matters related to the club game. Therefore, alongside standard reporting, content calendars, and other services that help stimulate and sustain the growth of ECA’s social channels, WePlay has a brand positioning strategy to execute.
The bottom line
Unlike B2C messaging strategies, which are designed to appeal to a large and diverse consumer base, B2B messaging strategies, such as those used by ECA, rely heavily on maintaining strong relationships with its members, who are key stakeholders in the organisation.
Inconsistencies in messaging could cause ambiguity, potentially damaging these critical relationships and their reputation. Therefore, it’s essential to ensure that ECA projects a consistent and credible image to its members
By ensuring that its messaging is well-received by its members, ECA can achieve its objectives and maintain its position as a leading authority on club matters, aligning with its overall strategy.
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