'We Are Walsall' Campaign Nominated in Football Business Awards...
WALSALL FC have been nominated in the 'Best Club Marketing Initiative (non Premier League)' category of the Football Business Awards 2015.The Saddlers were recognised for our 'We Are Walsall' campaign, in conjunction with Homeserve and Walsall Council, in the run up to our historic trip to Wembley in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy.
We joined forces with their Principal Partner, Homeserve and with Walsall Council to consider how this momentous occasion for Walsall could be celebrated and developed. Together, we developed the We’re with Walsall – offering the community, club and fans an opportunity to showcase their support for the club’s achievement and for the borough.
Many activities were undertaken to showcase the Wembley appearance across the Borough including painting Walsall’s popular hippo sculpture in the club’s colours as a selfie point in the Borough. The sculpture was illustrated by a local tattoo artist business which had been funded by Walsall Council as part of their support to SMEs – they also included the We’re With Walsall message in several commissioned graffiti art hoardings covering new build projects across the Borough.
Please view the whole journeyhere
Over 5,000 car flags were produced and distributed across the town, proudly flying from HomeServe vans, Council vehicles, housing association vans and from the utility vehicles of contractors working on the many major regeneration projects taking place across the Borough.
Over 10,000 We’re with Walsall campaign posters were displayed in houses, business and shops. Colleagues at HomeServe got behind our journey and the campaign to such an extent that the 127 pairs of tickets which HomeServe purchased for a staff giveaway mushroomed to the company taking almost 650 colleagues and family down to Wembley.
Whilst this activity and feelgood factor certainly helped to drive the over 29,000 tickets we sold for Wembley at Banks’s Stadium, the ethos behind the campaign was certainly wider.
It is envisaged that We’re With Walsall will develop to become a seminal marketing campaign for the Borough as a whole. Essentially innovation, regeneration, awards and achievements – if you are with Walsall then you are Walsall, the town, the club, the people.
Isobel Woods – Employment Growth Manager, Walsall Council
"We were delighted to see the club reach the final of the Johnston Paint Trophy. Our ‘We’re with Walsall’ campaign is a fantastic opportunity for everyone connected to the borough to show their support for everything we are trying to achieve – from the football club to the massive regeneration going on in the Borough."
Greg Reed, Chief Marketing Officer - HomeServe
"We were founded in Walsall 20 years ago last year and are now one of the town’s largest employer. We’re also the principle partner of Walsall FC so it made absolute sense for us to declare our support for ‘We’re with Walsall’. We were also thrilled to be able to fund a range of events and activities for the community and fans linked to this campaign and to help paint the town red in advance of the biggest game in the club’s history….We’re with Walsall!"
Celtic, Norwich City, The FA and Wolverhampton Wanderers have also been shortlisted with the winners announced at Stamford Bridge on Thursday 5 November.