Wolverhampton Wanderers’ recent piece of social media branding has reminded the marketing world that the Premier League club’s content is the jewel in the crown. Social media branding is key in any business model, as it can help companies build a consumer base. However, sports fans are more eager to engage with clubs on social media than shoppers of a retail store. As a result, sports properties spend a great deal of time on their visual brand identity and design their content in a fun, relatable, and engaging way.
Wolves are among the list of Premier League clubs that have aced their social media strategy. Wolves, who play at Molineux Stadium, often apply a fresh and bold approach to their storytelling, whether it’s matchday graphics or video coverage. We saw this reality reinforced on 9 June 2021, when Wolves confirmed 45-year-old Bruno Lage as their new head coach.
Ambitious on and off the pitch
Since Wolves’ return to the Premier League in the 2018-19 season, the owners and fans have been ambitious and focused. The squad was primed and ready even before their promotion, with many players from the Championship title-winning side featuring in the following Premier League campaign. Despite a disappointing 2020-21, Wolves can be optimistic about the 2021-22 season; with odds of 10/1 to finish in the top six, it is not out of the question for the club to be aiming for the European spots. One thing that people wouldn’t have bet on was how Wolves announced Lage on social media – there was no way of predicting the club would do it in the way that they did.
Posting a nine-second graphic animation on the club’s social media accounts, Wolves announced Lage in a way that combined beautiful aesthetics and upbeat music. The video combined the club’s colours and the colours of the Portuguese flag. It was relevant, well designed, and not overly complicated — a mistake many clubs’ social teams make.
Other Examples of Strong Wolves Content
Wolves excel at marketing because the club understands one rule: when nothing is happening, keep the conversation going. That’s why Wolves have launched their ‘From The Archives’ and ‘On This Day’ feature. One of the most memorable examples of this type of content is Wolves’ video reliving the Ruben Neves volley vs Derby. Using strong, distinctive visuals paired with spine-chilling match commentary, Wolves fans are taken back to when Neves unleashed his super volley in 2018.
Speaking of keeping the conversation going when nothing’s happened, Wolves understand that they have to do the same when something is happening. The corporate world refers to this as real-time marketing, where establishments interact with their audience based on current local or global news. For instance, Wolves did this brilliantly when the Super League news broke. Since they finished in seventh behind the clubs involved a few seasons ago, Wolves awarded themselves the Premier League title of 2018/19 to poke fun at the new competition. Humour is one marketing style, and it’s best used when you know your audience needs a laugh, which, at the time, many football fans did.
Social media branding is essential in business, regardless of the industry. However, there’s always going to be someone that surpasses the competition. Wolverhampton Wanderers just so happen to be that club in football.