SCL Mellon has been awarded at the Content Marketing Awards 2024 for our mini-series “The Admiral Football Heritage“, a project that highlights the contribution of the iconic British brand, Admiral, to global football. The series earned GOLD in the Best Content Marketing Program – Sports category and SILVER in the Best Multi-Channel Content Strategy category.
The Story Behind “The Admiral Football Heritage”
Our goal was to tell the untold story of a sports brand with British roots and a rich football heritage—one that changed the landscape of global football forever. Admiral is the brand that revolutionized football kits, being the first to:
- Design two-tone jerseys
- Offer football kits for sale to fans
- Place its logo alongside a team’s crest on the shirt, making it part of football’s visual identity.
For the first time in Greece, we aimed to showcase this remarkable legacy, introducing Admiral to a new audience. The 5-episode mini-series, narrated by football legend Demis Nikolaidis, takes viewers through the 50-year journey of the Admiral brand, capturing its innovations and impact on football kits worldwide.
An awarded Multi-Channel Content Strategy
To reach our audience effectively, we leveraged multiple communication channels. The campaign featured a robust digital presence, including:
- Website and social media: We distributed the series through Admiral’s official website, social media channels (YouTube, Meta, TikTok), and Demis Nikolaidis’ Instagram account.
- Physical stores: The series was broadcast across 134 Admiral stores in Greece, Bulgaria, and Cyprus, reaching a large in-store audience.
- Exclusive premiere event: We hosted an exclusive screening at Village Cinemas GOLD CLASS, attended by journalists and football enthusiasts from both Greece and the UK, which was covered by Greek TV.
- Media coverage: The documentary’s historical and educational content drew significant attention from Tier 1 media outlets, resulting in extensive features and articles.
Bringing the Legacy to Life
To create the authentic, documentary-style production, we traveled to Manchester to visit Admiral’s UK offices, where we interviewed legendary football players who had worn the Admiral crest during their careers. This journey also helped us uncover the brand’s groundbreaking innovations that shaped the football kit industry globally.
Admiral’s legacy was cemented at the 1982 World Cup, when the brand designed the iconic kit for the England national football team. Following this, Admiral went on to partner with clubs like Leeds United, Manchester United, Tottenham, West Ham United, Leicester City, and over 50 other football clubs, embedding itself into the history of English football.
The Leeds United 1973 kit, for example, was the first football shirt made in children’s sizes, and thanks to Admiral’s visionary designers, the concept of logos on multiple parts of sports apparel was born, revolutionizing the branded sportswear market.
Making Admiral’s Legacy known to Greece
In Greece, Admiral’s incredible contribution to football wasn’t widely known—until now. Through storytelling, strategic content distribution, and the dynamic presence of Demis Nikolaidis, we brought the Admiral story to life for a new generation of fans. The campaign reintroduced the legendary brand to the public, showcasing its heritage, values, and tradition.
By integrating digital media, retail displays, and native content, we ensured that the series reached audiences across all touchpoints. The educational and historical significance of “The Admiral Football Heritage” resonated with a wide range of viewers, including long-time Admiral fans who are now discovering the brand’s rich legacy.
The production of the series was a collaboration between Digital Minds (script, direction, and production) and SCL Mellon & Touchpoint Strategies (concept, design, and content strategy). This synergy resulted in a campaign that not only celebrated a brand’s history but also set a new benchmark for multi-channel content strategies in sports marketing.
We are proud to have been honored with these awards and look forward to continuing to tell the stories of brands that shape the world of sports.
Content marketing is not just one of our expertise – it is one of the things we love more about our work! Cheers to the next ones!