BRAND
PROJECT
Clubeleven brand update & launch
OVERVIEW
Along with a great core team and an army of storytellers, we conceived and launched a start-up brand strategy that would eventually become an established brand & agency adopted by the North American soccer community.
ROLE
Brand Development
Creative Direction
Content Strategy
Graphic Design
Copywriting
Building a bridge for the North American Soccer community through storytelling.
Clubeleven’s inception was a perfect storm of a new generation, a developing sport, access to technology, a seismic shift in media, growing communities, and most of all, a small team filled with passion and purpose.
THESIS
American soccer is one of the great sporting opportunities of our generation.
APPROACH
Do it. But Backwards.
In the depths of a world pandemic, a small team: Gabriel Bayona, Pablo Bayona, and Nick Pecori recognized the opportunity in front us. The next decade ahead for agencies & brands would be in the hands of creators.
Our direction to build a brand and agency was to start backwards. It was a content first direction to establish ourselves one of the leaders in a niche industry that had yet to blossom.
HYPOTHESIS
Start inward. Grow outward.
Our hypothesis is that in the current era, the wide-spread adoption of North American soccer can be ignited by creators, who can then drive its further growth and reach beyond.
First by learning more about the men and women who play the game in America and showcasing them.
By dipping into those channels and partnerships, we would then grow the brand to the greater supporter community and hopefully to new ones.
SCENARIO
Founded in 2019, Clubeleven had an existing presence as an Instagram page & website made up of a community of photographers and writers.
In late 2020, the remote team decided it was time for an update and fresh approach into a legitimate storytelling brand.
BRAND UPDATE
Given our very limited budget and the desire for an external design perspective in this case, we launched an online contest with participants. The contest presented several potential design directions for consideration.
But after a little direction we landed on one design we particularly loved…
Some say it’s an eleven. Some see a quotation.
We like call to it the magnet.
A symbol to where creators, players, and supporters across North America meet.
IDENTITY
WHY, MISSION, ETHOS & VISION
For American Soccer to succeed, its story must be told.
To shine a light on North American soccer through storytelling.
Our stories are about humans, who happen to play soccer.
To become the bridge for the American Soccer community.
VALUES
Club. Curiosity. Creativity. Communication. Collaboration.
CONTENT STRATEGY
Content is a game of combinations, with purpose.
The simple equation of creating content is by combining subject matter with data.
The success or failure of that combination would be in the hands of the consumer, and whether they found value.
Our Category: American soccer
The internet has led to the segmentation of interests into niche areas, where broad generalizations no longer apply. As we connect with others who share our unique interests across the globe, it creates gaps & opportunities for content creation that can fulfill these interests.
In this case, it would be the elements that make up American soccer. We had the perfect set of resources at our disposal at a unique time. An established remote network of creators in American soccer spanning the country.
It starts with the written word
We view media as data, and we had a variety of mediums and resources at our disposal, including photos, video, audio, and the written word.
Our strategy was to focus on utilizing two primary mediums, photographs and writing, to create and publish engaging editorial stories within our niche.
Category * ( Data ) * t = Content
This formula would come full circle to put our hypothesis to the test. Soccer players and modern creators coming together to help grow the American game through our platforms.
GOAL
Our goal was to produce a story each week for an entire year.
And with that, gain exposure and awareness to then establish an American soccer-focused brand & creative agency.
CHALLENGES
Our goal was simple. But in order to achieve this, there were some complexities and hurdles.
Pandemic - Navigating the challenges of a global pandemic when producing content involved meeting people.
Limited Credibility - Not many knew who we were, we didn’t know the right people to contact.
Logistics - Making a number of cold inquiries for story subjects, coordinating and managing logistics between players/personalities and photographers, achieving timely turnaround for graphic designs, experimenting and learning through trial and error.
Consistency - Maintaining consistency and cohesiveness throughout the year.
The Unknown - Would it work? We did not know.
(RE)LAUNCH
Logo Reveal
For our new logo reveal, we collaborated with our established network of soccer photographers to launch a orchastrated campaign across various geographical markets in America. Leveraging the unique perspectives of each creator, who cover their own clubs, we created customized designs featuring the new logo alongside one of their photograph subjects and club color schemes.
It was time to begin.
On January 12, 2021, we published our first featured story.
I remember I just hugged him, and I cried because he finally said it.
I really wanted to give back to the school for everything it’s done for me. Same for my dad. I know I try to make him proud with academics. I know I’m not the best student, but I work really hard. I was able to reward him with a National Championship. I remember that day when I won it. I’ll never forget when he said he was proud of me. I remember I just hugged him, and I cried because he finally said it.
Donovan Pines on winning the National Championship and his relationship with his father. (University of Maryland, D.C. United) (Photo by Gabriel Bayona)
People and players, we were working together. It was different back then.
When we had open training, we had 15,000 people show up at nine o'clock in the morning, just to watch us train! It was a kind of connection that went both ways. People and players, we were working together. I don't know. It was different back then.
Andranik “Eski” Eskandarian on the early days of the New York Cosmos (Iranian National Team)
(Photos by Peter Bonilla)
I want to be able to set the stage for future generations.
As much as I want to help make change for our current players, I think we also need to have one foot in the future and set the standard for future generations to come.
Veronica Latsko, aspiring women’s civil rights lawyer (Houston Dash, NWSL CBA Committee)
(Photos by Diana Hernandez)
When I wasn’t playing soccer, I would just go with my friends to the mountain and just go hunt for some food.
I also used to do acrobatics. There was a place in the mountains, and we would just go there and chill and do backflips.”
Mayele Malango on growing up in the Congo (New Amsterdam FC)
(Photo by Peter Bonilla)
So he walks out, and next to him are two pet wolves…
I just remember looking over to one of my American teammates and saying,
“Dude, if we don’t keep ourselves in first division, we’re getting fed to the wolves.”
Greg Garza, MLS Champion, on playing football in Tijuana (Atlanta United FC)
(Photo by Dave Williamson)
I didn’t know they were going to be there. They surprised me.
I didn’t want to cry too much, but my mom cried.
She just said, ‘I’m super proud of you, Donovan, I’m always so proud.’ That just hits different.
The last few months have been crazy.
“After winning the National Championship...I took that chance to finally live out my dream as a professional soccer player, and it’s really happened for me.
Now it’s all about trusting the process and keep taking those steps one at a time. The last few months have been crazy. My time at the Gold Cup just taught me to live in the moment because you never know if you’re gonna get it again. I was blessed to be a part of it. Now I just have to keep working to live out the rest of my dreams.”
Donovan Pines on winning the Gold Cup as a member of the Senior US Men’s National Team
Images by Ashley Orellana & Gabriel Bayona
RECAP