Philip Belsey – The Football Association

The Football Association (The FA) is the oldest governing body of football, established in 1863 to oversee the sport in England and the Crown Dependencies. It manages all aspects of amateur and professional football, including national competitions like the FA Cup, and appoints management for the men’s, women’s, and youth national teams.

In this interview, Philip Belsey,  Research and Insight Lead at The FA delves into the intricate relationship between creative development and branding within The FA, highlighting how innovative strategies and insightful research are pivotal in crafting a brand identity that resonates with a wide-ranging audience.

Engaging with a diverse audience

The brand is an important topic at The FA, particularly the specific England team brands, having experienced success and a broadening of its fan base in recent years. The FA’s fan base spans from traditional football enthusiasts to the younger, digital-native Generation Z. From those only interested in men’s or women’s football to an ever-increasing number who follow both England teams. “Our audience has probably never been as diverse as it is now. In simple terms, you have the older generation football fans at one end of the scale, and then you have Gen Z and even Gen Alpha fans at the other end, all of whom have completely different needs and media consumption patterns,” Philip says.

This diversity presents both a challenge and an opportunity for The FA. On one hand, it necessitates the creation of content and advertising that appeal to a broad spectrum of people with varying media consumption habits and preferences. On the other hand, it offers a chance to expand and deepen engagement with new and existing fans by addressing their unique interests and needs.

For The FA, understanding and embracing this diversity is crucial for sustaining and growing its brand(s), requiring a strategic approach to creative/content development and branding that is both inclusive and resonant across different segments of its audience. “As a brand that appeals to a massive spectrum of people we’ve got to try to care for everyone. Understanding the different dynamics, behaviours, and attitudes of the audience is crucial,” Philip emphasises.

“Understanding the different dynamics, behaviours, and attitudes of the audience is crucial.”

Creative Development as a Brand Growth Driver

For successful engagement and subsequently brand growth, Philip sees that a brand’s content and creatives are vital as they represent the outward-facing projection of the brand and consequently also its reflective view of its consumers. “In other words, it is a test of whether the brand truly understands its consumer,” he says, highlighting that if a brand’s consumers do not recognise themselves, or feel like the creative represents them, then they are going to move away from that brand, consequently limiting the growth potential for the brand. Hence, this connection is crucial for brand growth, as it ensures the content resonates with the fans‘ identity and experiences, fostering a deeper engagement with the brand.

For The FA, creating this connection means producing creative content that not only captivates but also speaks to the hearts of fans across various demographics, from children taking their first steps in grassroots football to older generations with decades of fandom.

Creativity here is tasked with bridging the gap between the traditional elements of football culture and the evolving digital landscape that younger fans inhabit. Therefore, the creative cannot only be based on short-term needs but also link back to a long-term strategy.

However, the FA focuses on both because the product varies in each context. “It may vary from short-term creatives used to drive match ticket sales for England’s men’s and women’s senior teams, to longer strategic campaigns to maintain brand salience in periods in which there are no international matches or to drive awareness of grassroots campaigns focused on encouraging participation and positive behaviours at the grassroots level of football,” Philip explains.

This delicate balance requires a nuanced approach, leveraging insights from targeted research to craft messages and campaigns that can appeal to the wide and varied spectrum of The FA’s audience. By doing so, The FA aims to maintain and enhance its brand’s relevance and connection with fans, ensuring long-term engagement and support for football at all levels.

“Creative is vital! It is the outward facing projection of the brand and its reflective view of its consumers.”

Using research in creative development

Philip believes that research is crucial in testing and measuring the creative development process. He points out that The FA is relatively new at incorporating research into its creative development to ensure that the content effectively resonates with its diverse audience. “The goal is to be proactive rather than reactive,” he says, emphasising the use of insights to guide creative strategies from the onset and earlier in the development cycle rather than relying on quick, surface-level surveys when it is too late to optimise.

Philip advocates engaging with research early in the creative process to inform decision-making, validate creative directions, and ensure that the content aligns with the audience’s values and expectations. “There is much more value in doing research at the earlier stages, whether that’s to get feedback on initial concept ideas or to test propositions or storyboards.” However, Philip also recognises the challenges of creative testing, such as dealing with tight timelines and limited budgets, which often constrain the ability to make significant adjustments based on feedback; “More often than not, creative timelines and budgets are incredibly tight, therefore testing creative and content work has to be equally agile meaning organisations need a toolkit of creative evaluation approaches that will fit every timeline and budget.”

Despite these challenges, Philip stresses the importance of not viewing creative success in isolation but considering it as part of a holistic approach that includes campaign objectives, audience engagement metrics, and brand impact. This comprehensive view helps The FA measure the effectiveness of its creative efforts and refine its strategies for continuous improvement and sustained fan engagement.

“There is much more value in doing research at the earlier stages, whether that’s to get feedback on initial concept ideas or to test propositions.”