FC Pakhtakor - A Case Study in Developing and Implementing a Football Club's Media Strategy
In 2018, we undertook an intriguing project - the reorganization of the media department for Uzbekistan's football club, "Pakhtakor."
FC Pakhtakor - A Case Study in Developing and Implementing a Football Club's Media Strategy
In 2018, we undertook an intriguing project - the reorganization of the media department for Uzbekistan's football club, "Pakhtakor."
Spoiler Alert: We executed the task so effectively that, three years later, the club continues to follow our guidelines. Furthermore, we successfully elevated the club's social media presence solely through organic reach.
Spoiler Alert: We executed the task so effectively that, three years later, the club continues to follow our guidelines. Furthermore, we successfully elevated the club's social media presence solely through organic reach.
Background:
In 2017, the club changed ownership, and with that change came a desire for sweeping transformations, including revamping the operations of the media department. While the department was functional, there was a clear need to enhance its quality. The club sought to attract new fans, requiring engaging content and progressive match coverage.
PR Manager Marat Aksanov, Art Director Sergey Zabaluyev, and Press Attache Behzod Nazarov joined forces to reform the public relations service of "Pakhtakor" and bring its operations up to global standards.
PR Manager Marat Aksanov, Art Director Sergey Zabaluyev, and Press Attache Behzod Nazarov joined forces to reform the public relations service of "Pakhtakor" and bring its operations up to global standards.
Preparation and Process:
Our work commenced with the development of a strategy, as there were no local benchmarks to follow in Uzbekistan at the time.
We established close collaborations with various football clubs, including "Krasnodar." We discussed working approaches and shared experiences in photojournalism and art direction. Additionally, we examined the practices and experiences of media departments from other football clubs in CIS countries and the European Union.
The changes were to encompass:
- Writing style
- Content
- Presentation format
The foundation for updating the club's visual identity was the guideline we created.
Based on it, we developed:
- Custom presets for photo editing, adapted for various lighting conditions on football fields.
- Over 20 templates for social media posts.
- Styles for advertising billboards and scoreboards.
- New layouts for match programs, booklets, and brochures.
- Designs for the club's vehicles.
- Branding elements.
We created an extended club logo featuring the inscription "Pakhtakor Football Club" in Helvetica font.
We established close collaborations with various football clubs, including "Krasnodar." We discussed working approaches and shared experiences in photojournalism and art direction. Additionally, we examined the practices and experiences of media departments from other football clubs in CIS countries and the European Union.
The changes were to encompass:
- Writing style
- Content
- Presentation format
The foundation for updating the club's visual identity was the guideline we created.
Based on it, we developed:
- Custom presets for photo editing, adapted for various lighting conditions on football fields.
- Over 20 templates for social media posts.
- Styles for advertising billboards and scoreboards.
- New layouts for match programs, booklets, and brochures.
- Designs for the club's vehicles.
- Branding elements.
We created an extended club logo featuring the inscription "Pakhtakor Football Club" in Helvetica font.
Creating Content
First, we established the visual identity and then began working directly on the field. This part of the job turned out to be the most challenging - we set strict timeframes for ourselves to increase the volume of high-quality content and provide comprehensive coverage of matches.
We managed to take the efficiency of the club's media department to an entirely new level. Now, it took us only 15 minutes to create short field reports. Of course, all content was produced in three languages - Russian, Uzbek, and English.
In addition to the primary material, we posted stories covering the team's arrival at the stadium, behind-the-scenes footage before and after matches, aiming to convey the players' emotions that were not captured by the cameras. We regularly conducted live broadcasts on social media. After the match, we would return to the footage, process photos, write press releases, and prepare interviews. On average, we captured about 3000 frames per match!
In addition to the primary material, we posted stories covering the team's arrival at the stadium, behind-the-scenes footage before and after matches, aiming to convey the players' emotions that were not captured by the cameras. We regularly conducted live broadcasts on social media. After the match, we would return to the footage, process photos, write press releases, and prepare interviews. On average, we captured about 3000 frames per match!
On match days, the media department started working early in the morning and finished well past midnight.
The pre-match preparation of the media department reached an entirely new level. In the week leading up to the game and just before kick-off, we began to prepare a massive amount of content, including:
It's worth noting that we started paying close attention to photos capturing the emotions of the players and coaching staff, showcasing their determination and camaraderie.
One of the highlights of our work was the match programs. They had stopped distributing them in the 90s, but we brought back this tradition with a fresh approach. We managed to print the programs just 10 minutes before the start of the match, ensuring they contained up-to-date information about the starting lineups of both teams.
The pre-match preparation of the media department reached an entirely new level. In the week leading up to the game and just before kick-off, we began to prepare a massive amount of content, including:
- Interviews with the team.
- Interviews with individual players.
- Interviews with the head coach and his staff.
- Statistics from previous matches.
- Material about the club's internal life.
- Content about the football club's academy.
- Material about futsal matches and the youth team.
- Content about the first team's training sessions.
- Training videos.
It's worth noting that we started paying close attention to photos capturing the emotions of the players and coaching staff, showcasing their determination and camaraderie.
One of the highlights of our work was the match programs. They had stopped distributing them in the 90s, but we brought back this tradition with a fresh approach. We managed to print the programs just 10 minutes before the start of the match, ensuring they contained up-to-date information about the starting lineups of both teams.
What We Changed
- We developed a comprehensive brand identity for the club.
- We brought the media department up to European and Russian standards.
- We increased engagement on "Pakhtakor's" social media platforms, expanding the audience by 500%.
- We grew the club's fanbase.
Conclusion
In one year of work, we managed to create and establish a fully functioning media department without the need for massive budgets for advertising and equipment. The club's owners were delighted with the global changes.
Our work has become a model for many sports media departments in Uzbekistan. Other organizations have adopted the experience of "Pakhtakor" and reached out to us for advice.
To this day, you can find photos taken by our team on the club's Instagram account.
Having established an operational media department, we left "Pakhtakor" after a year. It was time to move forward.
Our work has become a model for many sports media departments in Uzbekistan. Other organizations have adopted the experience of "Pakhtakor" and reached out to us for advice.
To this day, you can find photos taken by our team on the club's Instagram account.
Having established an operational media department, we left "Pakhtakor" after a year. It was time to move forward.
The project was executed by: Marat Aksanov (PR Manager), Sergey Zabaluyev (Art Director), Behzod Nazarov (Press Attache).