A successful brand beats with one heartbeat

Challenge

The heart of football

The ECA, or European Club Assocation, has entered their second decade, and they felt that the time was just right to refresh their image and the perception they deliver to all their stakeholders. 
 
They seeked to reaffirm their ambition for European football by expressing their new positioning as the ‘Heart of Football’ playing a key role not only in the field of football, but the entire communities and fans surrounding them. 
 
ECA wanted also to reaffirm its position as an essential key driving force for positive change in the game collaborating with UEFA and FIFA football associations.

Immersion

Competitive Analysis and Review of UEFA and FIFA brand expressions, Brand Analysis, Audience KOL Understanding, Brand Insight Unearthing

Strategy

Brand Strategy, Brand Purpose, Brand Positioning, Brand Personality, Value Proposition, Brand Architecture including Women, Youth and Esports, Domain Names and Campaign Hashtags

Creative

Logo, tagline, key visuals, content, brand identity, Visual identity: logo/principles/clear space, Colour palette: primary colours and gradients, language of colour, Typography, Brand applications (business card, email signature, poster, brochure cover and spreads), website, social media, corporate and promotional videos and animations, flyers, annual report, General Assembly assets, Event Programs, Powerpoint Template, Memo Template, Letter Template, Generic Document Template, Header Images for all SoMe Platforms, Generic Press Release Images, Statement Quotation Image, 
Media Release Template, Newsletter Template, Email Signature, Business Card template, HQ office branding, Roll-up Banners, Meeting and Press Folders, Mapping Projection, Spatial Layout, Interactive Design, Presentations, Production Management, Merchandising

Activation

Launch of the new brand, website and social media content at their General Assembly in Amsterdam

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Immersion

Voice of
the clubs

In a football world that is in flux and shaken on all sides, has allowed ECA to affirm its goal of creating a new, more transparent mode of governance that places the key role of football clubs at the forefront.
 
We’ve immersed ourselves to understand the stakes at hand. We determined the potential that ECA offers the clubs: a unified brand around common values and a force for change rallying all stakeholders under one brand.

Strategy

Amplifying the beats

We knew that the ECA was bound to become a major force in the future of football. We wanted to preserve the organisation’s soul while building a solid foundation by creating a unified narrative that speaks as one voice to the values and goals at the centre of European football. 
 
We established ECA as a key player on the international football landscape, and with a bold and dynamic new brand identity, we ensured that ECA was identified as a leading force in football going forward. We believed that the contemporary flavour of this brand we created achieves just that, as it makes them the driving force behind all the European football clubs. 
 
We defined the need to bring confidence and character to the brand’s personality, thus creating a strong public perception grounded in how it acts, what it says, and how it looks.

Creative

The true
heart

Based on our research, we created a logo that encapsulated the principles of forward motion and agility driving the game into a positive direction. We used bold capital letters to show resilience, ambition, confidence and decisiveness.
 
A playing field’s green gradient illustrates an eclectic mix of stakeholders across the continent, all working together as one team, united with a single voice. The symbol of the ball emphasises that our primary focus will always be on the game itself.
 
“Heart of Football” tagline positions football clubs as the game’s main stakeholders, always at the centre of the action, while evoking  emotion and passion. 
 
Images of stadiums summon the atmosphere of intense anticipation before kick-off, boldly representing the ECA’s aspirations. The logo is framed so the club’s point of view is always at the centre of the action, whether on and off the field. The use of green throughout unites the game, the pitch, and the sport’s remarkable heritage.

Activation

Experiential event

The stakeholders were united behind a single breathtaking experience during the General Assembly, with each element carefully thought out and brought to life using technology and interactive art that reinforced the new brand visual and verbal expressions. 
 
This activation sent ripples throughout social networks, raised awareness of the ECA, its new positioning and created conversations that enhanced the brand’s reputation and helped stakeholders identify with its values.
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Impact

Becoming an iconic brand

Activating the creative work in the real world had the effect of making the ECA emblematic. In the world of European football, its prestige and influence have been significantly increased.
 
This is partly a result of its commitment to its objectives, values and visual identity, but also how the activation of the brand’s principles made the story of the “Heart of Football” relevant, distinctive, and unforgettable on social media and in the stands. 

“We believe that clubs are truly the Heart of Football. This new visual identity positions ECA as a leading stakeholder at the centre of the action. In addition, our tagline evokes the emotion and passion of the game we all love, something which guides us in our approach to developing club football.”

Michele Centenaro
ECA General Secretary

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