It is very likely that when you come across this headline, one or more of the following will come to mind:
- The English Premier League
- Manchester United
- Liverpool FC
- Lionel Messi & Cristiano Ronaldo
- UEFA Champions League
- World Cup
- Real Madrid
- Barcelona
You would not be wrong to remember any or all of them. They have all been very visible, with headlines splashed across the sports pages, papers, online publications, and social media.
Since the formation of the Football Association Premier League (FAPL) on the 20th February 1992 (when the football clubs in England decided to break away from the old First Division formed in 1888 and take advantage of a lucrative TV rights deal), there has been a lot of publicity on the Premier League in England and European football at large.
The football clubs themselves are not left out as public relations, social media and marketing are now a huge part of how they operate. For example, the unveiling of Virgil Van Dijk in a “No 4” shirt as a Liverpool player on January 1, 2018, had over 10,000 retweets in 4 hours. Also, the unveiling of Alexis Sanchez as a Manchester United signing, while playing the piano on the 22nd of January 2018 quickly went viral on social media.
The world of PR is ever-changing. With the explosion of social media, the content has been adapted to be more snappy and hard-hitting than ever, and football has changed to match it. Football teams are paying more attention to their PR and media relations than ever, and are reaping the business and exposure benefits because of it. Fanbases have expanded massively across the globe as a result of the direct interactions and public relations campaigns that fans can directly relate with.
Written by: ONWUMEH, SHIRLEY.