But how do you control the narrative? How do you launch a football club’s new brand with outstanding success? 

I recently redesigned Eastleigh Football Club’s new logo. It was a hugely enjoyable 8 month process, with the end result being a beautiful and relevant new logo for this progressive football club.

But now that the new logo and brand was done, signed off, and approved. How would we launch the new brand? We had to ensure that we had great success on this important day in the football club’s history. So I worked with Eastleigh F.C. head of social media, Tom Mulholland, to devise a plan to launch this exciting new brand.

Preparing for launch

I have been through ‘launch day’ on a number of occasions, because of this I am able to help guide club’s through this process. Ensuring that the new brand design is a huge success. But launch day takes a team effort and I was looking forward to working with Tom Mulholland, and the Eastleigh Fc board on this historic day.

In preparation for launch, I created a number of assets that will help the football club control the narrative. Maximizing the impact of the new brand launch. The assets will also give Tom and the club’s social media team plenty to post to create the right amount of buzz and interest.

Building anticipation

The club decided that the launch of this new brand should take place on social media, to be accompanied by a press release. 

Tom wanted to use social media to build hype and anticipation that some big news was coming though. So 5 days before the set launch date, he changed all of the club’s social media headers, and profile pictures to a simple graphic that said:

‘The new chapter begins, June 10th 2020’.

This was purposely abstract and vague. And designed to get the fans guessing and engaged with the football club. 

Tom M – who devised the idea said:

“As this rebrand was such a big announcement for the club we wanted to give it a bigger and more drawn out build-up to peak the interest of our followers that are both supporters of the club or other football fans. These graphics paid off as the ambiguity of the message led to varying predictions in the comments and replies to our posts. The countdown element meant that our supporters were reminded each day that this announcement was coming, and allowed them to be ready for the 9:00am launch, driving more traffic to our social media pages at the time as these teasers had given our followers plenty of notice on when and where this announcement would be found.”

– Tom Mulholland – Eastleigh Football Club’s social media manager

The ‘teaser graphics’ worked extremely well. Fans were excited, and conversations about what the ‘new chapter’ means, were happening both online and in the streets of Eastleigh. 

Launch day

With the statement that big news was coming, the clock was now ticking. We had our launch day confirmed in the public arena, 10th of June – now we had to ensure that all of our assets were ready and there was a clear strategy in place to launch this new brand.

Tom M – said:

“For the vast majority of our social media content we implement a multi-platform social media strategy, and this big announcement was of course no different. At Eastleigh FC we feel it is important to share content as equally as possible across our main platforms – Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram – to maximise our social media presence and grow the reputation of the club online on platforms with varying user demographics. Because of this, Chris was excellent in producing adaptable assets that could fit different dimensions for optimal use across each platform. These details may seem small but it meant our social media content was visually appealing on the launch day, to do the impressive new logo justice in the way we shared it to our followers.”

– Tom Mulholland – Eastleigh Football Club’s social media manager

Launch film

To launch the new brand and new logo in style. While helping the club control the narrative, I created a short film that would excite the fans, but also educate the fans on the history and progression of Eastleigh Football Club.

There are different styles, and ways to introduce a new logo via film, so for Eastleigh Football Club, I wrote and directed a film that would be called: ‘Chapters’. 

The Chapters would showcase the three different logo designs that the football club has had in its 75-year existence. Set in 3 different time periods 1946 (when the club was founded), 1980 (when the club introduced a change in the logo) and 2020 (introducing the new logo). 

Each logo the club had contains a chapter in the club’s history.

See the film here

This short film – ‘Chapters’ would launch the new logo. It would be the first thing that the early anticipating fans would see.

Tom, set up a ‘premiere on YouTube’ to launch the new logo, and shared it via social media.

Tom M – said:

“We were blown away by the production value and the storytelling in Chris’s ‘Chapters’ film. We immediately decided it should be the focal point of the launch and the first piece of content that announces the new badge. Audio/Visual (AV) content is always effective on social media as it can be more interactive for followers than a static image, and with this film available to us it was a no-brainer that it should be the ‘big reveal’ moment. It is unique in its first-class quality. As I have not seen many other football clubs, especially in our division, share this level of work for this type of announcement. We felt very lucky to be able to share this on our social media channels. 

It was set up as a YouTube premiere, which is a feature on YouTube that we have utilised before at the club for some of our videos. It adds to the anticipation as it includes a countdown, much like our teaser graphics during the days prior. Also, everyone who tunes in live gets to watch it in real-time, with the option to comment as the video is playing and interact with other supporters in the live chat. We felt this would be an effective way of making the launch instantly interactive so supporters could share their thoughts together. By doing so it adds a sense of unity to our fans, who were all experiencing the launch as one”.

– Tom Mulholland – Eastleigh Football Club’s social media manager

This video helped us control the narrative, and introduce the new logo with impact and story. 

Beauty images of the new logo that link to the official press release

Ok, so now the fans have seen the video. They know what ‘the new chapter’ means (after days of build up), it’s now time for the official press release from the club.

• read press release here 

The press release was written weeks before that launch day. It was carefully worded to be clear, and concise, positive and inspiring. The press release would explain the reasoning for the change as well as provide added information on the design itself. 

To accompany this press release, and make it more visual for social media. I provided a series of images of the new logo design, for the club to choose which one they want to use with the press release. 

We knew that this press release post and accompanying image would get a huge amount of likes, tweets, shares and retweets, so we chose an image that was clean, and clear where the clubs new logo could be seen in all its glory. 

Tom M – said:

“As much as we all as football fans enjoy the flash, exciting, interactive content for these types of launches, press releases are just as important. They provide further information and detail on the launch, and they can work in tandem with the initial piece of content chosen to be the ‘big reveal’ (in this case, the ‘Chapters’ film). 

The captivating video that Chris put together would excite fans and make them want to know in more detail what this announcement is really all about. Therefore, shortly after the video release, we followed up with this vital press release. It was a clean, strong image of the full logo and the cover image for this article. To make it crystal clear for supporters that it was the new badge they would be reading about. Also, it allowed supporters to get their first full look at the new badge in a static form to fully appreciate all the details”.

– Tom Mulholland – Eastleigh Football Club’s social media manager

Ok, now let it all sink in – for a bit.

So the fans, followers, and footballing community have seen:

• The’ The new chapter begins’ graphics.
• They have seen ‘’Chapters’ –  the launch film that introduces the logo.
• They have seen the image of the new logo.
• They have read the press release.

At this point, your direct messages and message notifications are already going into overdrive. There is a buzz around the club, all eyes are on the new brand. Expect heart emojis, likes and retweets. 

It was now time to let the new design sink in, monitor the reaction social media, and see the positive reaction. As well as retweet, share and like comments from the fans.

Tom M – said:

“After the ‘Chapters’ film launched at 9:30am, it was important to push out the press release fairly soon after. Especially as the instant reaction was so positive. This meant that supporters could watch the initial video then head straight to the website, to get a more detailed look at our new rebrand.

After that however, I felt it was equally important to let the reaction roll in on social media first, before posting more content instantly. With it being such a massive rebrand, we wanted to make it an all-day affair on our online platforms. By offering it some time to let the reactions come through, it allowed us to space out the other content we had planned.

To maintain the strong connection with our fanbase, I felt it was important to retweet the reactions of some supporters or popular names that the supporters would recognise (the likes of Matt Le Tissier, for example). During that short time where we paused the launch content.

For the fans we retweeted, it can give them a special feeling that the club has directly acknowledged their opinions, which we feel is important to do anyway at Eastleigh Football Club. Also, by sharing the positive reactions of the fans, our feed looks less like an emotionless brand account that posts content only made and approved by the club. Instead, it shows we are more in touch with the valued opinions of our fanbase, and that the rebrand is clearly for them, and about the fans moving forward with the new era as well as the club.”

– Tom Mulholland – Eastleigh Football Club’s social media manager

More assets to keep the momentum rolling

In addition to the launch film ‘Chapters’, we also created a series of ‘behind the badge’ videos – Filmed by Tom himself. 

In this mini video series Tom interviewed select fans, players and directors about the new badge. These videos would capture an array of reactions on the new logo, and provide more information about the new design. Additionally, these short videos would add different voices to the rebrand and offer a different perspective and  additional information.  

The short videos were published at various times throughout the day to keep the momentum rolling.

Tom M – said:

“At Eastleigh Football Club, we think it is paramount to remain as honest and transparent as possible with our supporters, through any positive or negative moments. As Kenny Amor, Chief Executive, said: “We understand that we are just the caretakers of what is essentially the fans club”. Because of this, we thought it was important for the supporters to hear directly from Kenny and Tom Coffey, Operations Director. Who are well known and trusted faces amongst the supporters, with the intention to provide some added information on the rebrand.

Also, we spoke with a few supporters who were part of a focus group that got an early look at the badge and Mike Wimbridge agreed to film a video detailing his thoughts from the perspective of a supporter, which gave our launch content another angle of opinions throughout the day.

In terms of the content on launch day, these videos enabled us to share a series of bite-size explanations into different areas of the badge’s design, the whole process. The reaction throughout the day and it offered supporters a more engaging way to hear these explanations than just words on a page.

We filmed them sitting in the stands or pitchside and with a handheld camera to give them a more raw, conversational style. So that supporters could feel like they were really amongst the conversation during the day, being ‘talked to’ rather than ‘talked at’. As we wanted to ensure our fans could hear directly from the people ‘Behind the Badge’”.

– Tom Mulholland – Eastleigh Football Club’s social media manager

Quote graphics

In addition to all the other assets that would support this logo launch, we also created ‘quote graphics’ from well known figures within the club – these quotes graphics were easier to make in comparison to the other assets. However they would still be impactful in further supporting the new design and contribute to the wave of positivity that the new logo design brought the club.

Additionally, these quote graphics would show more of the brand, in the form of the football club’s custom typography.

Learn more about Eastleigh Football Club’s custom typography here.

Tom M – said:

 “Chris had created some very effective quote graphics that we also put to use on launch day. These were particularly useful to share the thoughts from the manager, Ben Strevens, and some supporters who we were unable to film videos with. They were visually appealing, which meant that the quotes felt more engaging than if they were written in a less effective method. 

These graphics also allowed the fans to see further usage of our new custom typography in action. 

Content-wise, it also meant that our social feeds weren’t composed of the same style over and over again. Which can get repetitive no matter how high quality it is. Being able to create a flowing timeline which alternated effectively between AV content, images, quote graphics and links to other sites. This meant that supporters following the launch throughout the day could enjoy a variety of different content centered around the rebrand.”

– Tom Mulholland – Eastleigh Football Club’s social media manager

Behind the scenes photography and a look into the design process.

To offer the fans and followers a glimpse into the design process, I wrote a blog post on it as insight how great it was to work with the football club. I gave the club some behind the scenes photos, that would show the design studio where their new logo was created. 

The blog post and photos, (that were taken mid project) would show the fans that it was designed not only by a professional, but that the right amount of care, professionalism and expertise was invested in creating the new design.

Tom M – said:

“We felt it was important to recognise and honour the hard work that Chris has put into the design process of this rebrand, by sharing his blog post on launch day. Firstly, because the final product was so good, and secondly, because of the professionalism and superb interactions we had with Chris through the design process. His hard work  and dedication deserved to be shared on our platform too.

We were impressed with Chris’s work from the offset and we knew the supporters would be too. So it only made sense to share an insight into the specific behind-the-scenes process of designing the club’s new badge. One that only the designer themselves would be able to describe correctly.

Furthermore, it allowed us to appeal to an audience wider than just our fanbase. The design process of a new club badge, at least in my opinion as a football fan and someone who works in a creative industry, is fascinating.So I wanted to share that process on the club’s socials for any supporters, other football fans. Or for budding sports graphic designers and brand marketers who would be able to gain a professional insight from Chris. All this while having the core of the blog post be very relevant to Eastleigh Football Club as well.”

– Tom Mulholland – Eastleigh Football Club’s social media manager

Conclusion and recap

The launch of Eastleigh Football Club’s new logo is one of the most successful logo rollouts in recent times, and it was successful because:

• The new logo and brand was excellent – I was always going to be a success.
• We built anticipation through social media, and didn’t disappoint.
• We controlled the narrative and launched the new brand in style with the short film ‘Chapters’.
• We were prepared – we had an array of designs expertly created and lined up ready to be published.
• We had a plan, executed by a social media expert.

Assets created

• Teaser images
• Launch film
• Logo images + press release
• Logo ‘beauty shots’
• Behind the badge video series
• Blog post on how the logo was created

Actions on the day.

• Eastleigh F.C.’s social media team – led by Tom, was attentive and tactical on when to publish new content via social media. Tom controlled the vast audience, and ensured that the new logo, and new brand launch was a huge success for the football club.

Tom M – said:

“Overall I think the launch day, as well as the subsequent content we have been able to post in the fallout of the release. Has worked very effectively across our social media platforms. It is clear from the engagement figures, that there was a large outreach and an overwhelmingly positive reaction. Simply, we couldn’t have asked for anything more than that! 

Working closely with Chris in the build-up to the launch, meant that we were well-prepared with an array of effective and engaging content. The kind that would work seamlessly across all our social media platforms. I expressed to Chris during our meetings the importance of our multi-platform social media strategy at Eastleigh Football Club. So he created assets that fit all our accounts and appealed to all the demographics that follow the club online. 

Seeing the reactions flowing in from our supporters and the wider football community was a great feeling for everyone involved behind-the-scenes, as it meant our approach to launching the club rebrand had paid off”.

– Tom Mulholland – Eastleigh Football Club’s social media manager

This football club now plans to continue the momentum of the rebrand, and soon launch a fresh line of merchandise and fan wear. Sales are expected to go through the roof, as this new brand has added unbelievable excitement to the football clubs off field activities.

Further reading

For more information on his football club rebrand, feel free to check out the links below. Additionally, should you have any questions about the design process please feel free to contact me –  chris@footballbranddesigner.com

– Eastleigh Football Club rebrand case study

– Eastleigh Football Club logo launch film

– Behind the scenes: Designing Eastleigh Football Club’s new logo

– Behind the scenes: Designing Eastleigh Football Club’s custom typography