The Brief:
Manchester City's goal is to become the most loved and undisputed #1 football team in the US within the next 10 years.
In a digital landscape, how is fandom built?
The Brand:
Manchester City FC
"Soccer is #1 in participation of all sports among
Gen Alpha." Morning Consult, 2021
Meet Gen Alpha
These 6-10 year olds have steadily increasing interest and participation in soccer and soccer has become the #1 in participation sport in the US (Morning Consult, 2021). As the largest generation in history, they are considered a landmark generation poised to have a huge impact on society and culture. Gen Alpha’s buying power is predicted to reach $5.46 trillion by 2029 – almost as much as the spending power of millennials and Gen Z combined. Gen Alpha spends 5 hours a day on screens. They have been dubbed the “iPad generation,” these kids are spending an average of 5 hours a day on screens. With Covid occurring during their formative years they have the skills to learn virtually, they still lack the skills to connect in person and handle the normal bumps and bruises of interacting with people.
Leading to concerns about the impacts on their mental health. With high levels of social isolation and low self esteem, Gen Alpha lacks the confidence they need to dream big. Parents want to find ways to help their kids build confidence and resilience, and are looking to platforms that both educate and entertain.
I’d love if messaging were more geared around explaining that winning isn’t the ultimate goal and that losing isn’t terrible. This seems to be hard for my child to grasp.”
-Irina, mom to Isaac
Opportunity
Imagine the first dream you had when you were a kid. Remember the excitement and hope you felt. But do you remember when someone told you that your dream was too big? You’d never be a pop-star, a firefighter, or a footballer. That your dreams were too crazy and unrealistic. We know you already have programs targeting your youngest fans that extend into the US market, but your efforts have been centered around the sport of football.
Connecting with existing fans
rather than building new ones.
Manchester City is perfectly positioned to meet the needs of both Gen Alpha and their parents.
Because even though the team now electrifies the competition, Man City was once considered the underdog.
So like Gen Alpha, your team know how it feels to be underestimated.
Help Gen Alpha learn the skills and values needed to dream big,
and this should be led by the two most important team members of Manchester City F.C.
Blue Moon
As the mascots of Man City, these lovable aliens are iconic brand equities that, so far, have been underutilized by the Club, making them the perfect vehicle to connect with your youngest fans.
Together, they will be the faces of
Blue Moon, an educational and entertainment platform dedicated to helping kids dream big.
And it will help you build legacy of love to become the #1 team in the U.S. Because if you can get these fans early you can get them for life.
Love builds loyalty.
We proposed Moonchester and Moonbeam into characters. Because a mascot is just a symbol, but a character can help you build a powerful relationship with your fans.
Characters build a legacy of connection.
They stay with us, creating lifelong loyalty. Characters can help lend love and forgiveness even when the brand -- or the team-- is unable to live up to expectations. Because characters build brand love.
Origin story reimagined
Sports Entertainment
Other US sports leagues are starting to tap into this new generation, targeting Gen Alpha with kid-friendly entertainment, but borrowing characters from children's’ TV programs since they don’t have their own characters to reach kids themselves.
This year’s Super Bowl program on Nickelodeon had 1.2M Viewers and the Toy Story x NFL Funday Football was the most watched live event on Disney+ but they are still is only targeting the kids that are already fans of the sport.
Moonchester is a mischievous striker who represents curiosity and tenacity. And Moonbeam is a confident goalkeeper who represents adventure and authenticity.
The values of Moonbeam and Moonchester to life through Blue Moon activations designed to educate and entertain reaching a new audience.
Starting with a new animated Netflix children’s show, where kids can follow along on Moonchester and Moonbeam’s space adventures.
The series will teach new fans the valuable lessons that kids need and parents want. Kids will learn the importance of sharing, how to make new friends, and how to deal with disappointments.
Once we’ve captured their love, we’ll explore additional content, branded merchandise and in-person activations to bring Blue Moon to life on Earth and create opportunities for kids and parents to connect. Focusing on play and education to help kids continue to dream big.
By teaching kids that no dream is too big and no player is too small.
