Yes. That was a really desperate grab for alliteration using the stupid American term for diving, but it’s relevant.
Being a student that is now enjoying the luxury of three, sometimes only two, days a week at University, I have actually become a purveyor of daytime television. Cometh 3pm, cometh Football Gold. 15 minute segments which consist of highlights of the most exciting football games from the last 15-20 years or so, roundabout when televised football and Sky really started to take off.
I was pumped full of adrenaline and nostalgia when I saw that classic Premiership moment between Ruud Van Nistelrooy and just about the entirety of Arsenal. I’m pretty neutral towards both parties, but it was great entertainment.
For anyone who’s even slightly into football, if you haven’t accepted by now that, in terms of the standard of football, the Premiership just isn’t the best anymore. And to be quite frank, we aren’t the most exciting anymore either. As I sat watching the paint-drying-would-be-noticeably-more-entertaining 0-0 between City and United who, as a side note, were first and second in the league at the time, I couldn’t help but think about if two golden ages had just missed each other.
Right now, with the digital landscape being the most advanced it’s ever been and constantly evolving, we are in the golden age of marketing. 10 years ago was the golden age of the Premiership.
Imagine if we had those really snazzy super slo-mo adverts, but instead of water droplets flying towards the camera, it would be Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira having a bare knuckle brawl.
No one can deny that the advertising and marketing around English football is absolutely superb, but I can’t help but feel it’s all a bit false.
For the last four years English football has ranked below German and Spanish football, according to the rating system on whoscored.com anyway. The game is becoming full of selfie-posting prima donna’s and the performance of our national team at the last few major tournaments is a fair reflection of our league.
Matches consist of mundane football, diving, empty seats and all the players being best mates because they like each other’s stuff on Instagram. What happened to the blood and anger and genuine hatred between everyone?
One of my Grandad’s favourite phrases is “you can’t polish a turd”. He’s usually commenting on other family members wearing suits at family occasions, but I think it applies to English football and marketing.
How long can marketers continue marketing something of decreasing quality before people start to see through it and look elsewhere for their kicks? (see what I did there? Kicks? Football? No? Ok.) What can be done to keep marketing in sport fresh and what will different touch points be with football fans? What will football marketing look like in 10 years?
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