London Irish
Crafting campaigns for record-breaking club sales by waving the flag for a nation of exiles. With a rich heritage, a scattered but loyal fan base and an outcast vivacity, London Irish had many attributes to reinvigorate their place in rugby, but they needed a new symbol that could unify the club and its supporters. We tapped into their determined attitude, to unite the ‘The Exiles’ with a new nation. The Exile Nation ensured they not only kept up with the pace of change in sport, rival clubs and a move to their Brentford stadium, but that they made it over the line in style. We waved a flag that inspired action, converting record-breaking club stats through an identity that adorned terraces, screens and chests of #ExileNation citizens.
Brand strategy Copywriting Digital marketing Marketing Print collateral Tone of voice Visual identity
Sports
London UK
Rallying cries, champion spirit, and a tenacious attitude, rugby brings bags of passion from players, supporters and all those associated with the sport. London Irish’s stadium move back to Brentford spurred on fresh energy for the club to reignite their identity – less soul searching, more reclaiming the essence of what makes the club so clearly loved by their followers.
Our objectives were to raise the profile of London Irish and connect with a new and existing audience in equal measure. So we waved a new flag for ‘The Exiles’, one that supported the message that wherever and whoever you are, you’re part of something – a citizen of the Exile Nation.
The Exile Nation campaign resulted in the club receiving a record number of new Season Ticket purchases.
Katy Bigos
Nodding to the club’s heritage as a home away from home for nomad Irish men and women – and chalking up another migration on their board – their Exile status was as relevant today as it ever was. However, rather than loyal fans being branded as isolated outsiders, we reclaimed their origin story in order to create the borderless ‘Exile Nation’, where old and new fans were unified under a shared message.
Traditionally rugby club campaigns have targeted a stereotypical sport aesthetic – focussed on the speed and aggression of the game, but they fail to engage with the wider demographics that Rugby as a sport really resonates with – families.
London Irish has always stood out as a place that welcomes everyone, but in order to share the united Exile Nation message – to be immediately and unmistakably recognised – the nation needed a fresh symbol capable of bringing together fans and potential team ambassadors without alienating them. Building on the established emblems of London Irish – the club badge and the culture mix of Irish exuberance, English organisation and flair of global players – we hoisted up distinct insignia for all to see. The creation of a ‘flag’ visual device not only suggested the unwavering hope and unity ingrained in the club, but also became an integral stamp to be used across the brand identity and campaigns.
After shaking off the lethargy and restrictions presented by the pandemic, the creative identity of the Exile Nation was a key tool to get fans back to the stadium through a range of digital and OOH advertising campaigns.
Kicking off with the ‘Back to Brentford’ campaign, consisting of a mix of collateral across London billboards, tube station barriers, buses and social media banners, ‘Exile Nation’ arrived in the UK capital with an undeniably powerful attitude. From creative assets that give ‘more bang for your buck’ and ‘more tries for your eyes’, to player applauding graphics that come to life on game day, the energy of the Exile Nation could be felt whether sharing the #ExileNation on socials or being a proud citizen in the stadium.
With a 70% increase in season ticket holders, a 332% increase in attendance, a social media following increase of 450%, and 632% revenue increase from tickets, merchandise and advertising, the renewed club branding brought with it significant rise in revenue for The Exiles.
With success now visibly sewn into the fabric of the club, our design for London Irish’s 2021/2022 European kit became the epitome of wearing your heart on your sleeve. As the first club kit to completely sell out, it’s no surprise that the club has seen a 55% increase in kit sponsorship revenue. But it’s not just fans wearing the jersey with pride, players are competing for their shirt like never before. In fact, the club is seeing unprecedented player attraction and retention levels, with star players committing for the long term as the club goes from strength to strength on and off the field.
Luke and the team perfectly interpreted the aim of our project and devised a campaign that was not only visually exciting but was built on a strong concept with opportunities to develop and become synonymous with our brand.
Katy Bigos
Converting hearts and minds through rugby
To welcome everyone at London Irish, we created an array of ‘Exile Nation’ identities. From exciting under 12s with the prospect of becoming part of ‘Digger’s wolfpack’, to engaging ‘Generation Next’, and speaking to longstanding ‘Citizens’, each design captures the essence of the Exile Nation, while personalising it to create an even greater sense of belonging.
Armed with a brand platform that puts the fans front and centre of ‘a nation that welcomes all’ through targeted applications for multiple audience demographics, we’ve renewed a new sense of community which was vital to the club; empowering individuals with a personalised way to experience the game and get behind the club they cherish. All of which has resulted in 92% of surveyed fans saying they love the brand.
But what about engaging fans who have never even considered rugby as something for them? Inspired by new pandemic pastimes, and the nation’s affinity for trying new things as the world turned upside down, in line with stadiums doors reopening we created a campaign that invited anyone and everyone to put down the banana bread, peel their eyes away from the telly and ‘give rugby a try.’ With 54% of attendees now first-time rugby triers, and the average age of fans 19 years lower than it was before, we’re proud to say our efforts are welcoming more and more people into the Exile Nation as they discover the wonderful world of rugby.
With the new look and feel unveiled in line with season ticket sales opening, it’s unsurprising that the new identity has broken records for the club, as they enjoy an increase from 800 to 1,800 loyal season ticket holders in a short space of time. This has not only made the Exile Nation larger than ever, but caused the internal team to describe the campaign as the “club’s strongest marketing effort of all time”.
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