Merchandising Masterclass

Manchester City FC Ecommerce Merchandise

A focused digital ad strategy fueled Manchester City’s global merch sales and grew their fanbase in key markets.

Channels Targeted

Achievements

Global Sales Up: Strong boost in online merch across target markets.


UAE Fan Growth: Arabic ads built an engaged UAE fanbase.


Efficient Spend: A/B testing maximized ad ROI.


Stronger Bonds: Personalized content deepened fan loyalty.

Our Manchester City FC campaign kicked off a bold, multi-channel digital strategy that scored big boosting global merch sales and growing a passionate fanbase in key markets around the world.

Client

Manchester City Football Club is a globally recognized, premier English football club based in Manchester.

With a decorated history and a massive international following, the club is a powerhouse not only on the pitch but also as a global brand.

The Challenge

While Manchester City enjoyed a loyal following, the club identified a significant opportunity to increase direct-to-consumer (D2C) sales of their official merchandise.

The primary challenge was to execute a sophisticated, Paid advertising campaign that could achieve two distinct goals simultaneously.

  1. Engage the core UK market to boost domestic sales.
  2. Penetrate and cultivate the rapidly growing fan market in the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf nations.

This required a bilingual campaign strategy (English and Arabic) that was culturally resonant and could effectively cut through the noise on highly competitive social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.

The ultimate goal was to convert passive followers into active, paying customers and build a stronger brand presence in the Middle East.

The solution

We developed a comprehensive, full-funnel digital advertising strategy designed to engage fans at every stage of their customer journey. Our approach was built on three core pillars:

Compelling, Localized Creatives

We produced a series of high-energy, compelling sales videos showcasing the club’s branded merchandise.

The content was specifically designed for social media, with different formats for Instagram Stories, Reels, and Facebook feed placements.

Crucially, all assets were created in both English and Arabic, with messaging tailored to resonate with the cultural nuances of both the UK and UAE audiences.

Advanced Audience Targeting & Segmentation

We moved beyond simple demographic targeting to build highly specific audience profiles.

Potential Fan Lists: We built fan lists by targeting followers of players, football news outlets, and rival clubs.

Custom & Lookalike Audiences: We leveraged Man City’s existing data to create powerful custom audiences of past purchasers and website visitors. From there, we built high-value lookalike audiences in both the UK and the UAE to reach new users who mirrored the characteristics of their most loyal fans.

Multi-Pronged Campaign for Retargeting & Cross-Selling

Our strategy guided users from initial awareness to final purchase.

Bottom of Funnel: Implementing dynamic ad campaigns that included cross-selling and up-selling logic. For example, a user who purchased a home shirt would be retargeted with ads for matching shorts or training wear, successfully increasing the average order value.

Top of Funnel: Broad campaigns using our engaging video content to capture attention and build large retargeting pools.

Middle of Funnel: Retargeting users who had watched our videos or visited the club’s website with specific product carousels and exclusive offers.

The Results & Achievements

The campaign was a resounding success, exceeding all initial KPIs and delivering a significant return on investment.

Strengthened Brand Loyalty: By reaching fans with relevant content and products, the campaign not only drove sales but also strengthened the connection between the club and its international supporters.

Increased Global Sales: The strategy led to a marked increase in online merchandise sales across all targeted countries.

New Fanbase Development: The targeted Arabic-language campaign was highly effective, directly contributing to the development of a new, highly engaged fanbase in Dubai and the wider UAE.

Optimized Ad Spend: Continuous A/B testing and management of the ad delivery resulted in a highly optimized and efficient campaign, maximizing ROI.

While the final score on this campaign was a clear win, for us, it’s only halftime.

15M

Followers built over a decade, transforming brands into industry leaders with loyal, engaged audiences.

500M

Global views generated through groundbreaking viral campaigns that captured attention and drove conversations.

£20M

Revenue delivered directly to clients, showcasing the measurable success of our strategies.

2B

Impressions achieved across platforms, keeping brands visible and top-of-mind in competitive markets.

Testimonial

Working with Socialtrend has completely transformed our social media strategy. Their innovative approach to organic growth helped us build an engaged audience and achieve incredible reach. They truly know how to turn creativity into results, and we’ve seen a significant impact on our brand presence.

Testimonial

The team at Socialtrend is exceptional. From crafting viral campaigns to driving authentic engagement, they’ve elevated our social media game beyond expectations. Their ability to combine trend-savvy content with measurable results has been invaluable for our brand.

Let's Talk

Let’s discuss your goals and challenges over a quick email or call.

Contact Us

UK Office:
Phone: 0161 726 5937
10th Floor, 3 Hardman Street,
Manchester,
M3 3HF

US Office:
Phone: +1754 276 6385
1360 Sutherland St,
Los Angeles,
CA 90026