How football brands can inspire change and drive lasting value

We’re sharing some of the many opportunities for clubs and commercial partners in playing above the game. From the untapped commercial growth from brand investment into the women's game, how small is beautiful in the beautiful game, and how football brands are multi-generational platforms with the potential to bridge generational divides and help fans in growing up and old healthy; together.

A rivalry is a partnership

We were euphoric to sign for Rosenborg BK as their brand and communication agency in 2022. As is the passion for the game, with a team in Bergen as well as Trondheim, we also didn’t want to close the opportunity of working with SK Brann. We floated this thought to the leadership of Rosenborg. Their response was surprising; inspiring us to lift our heads and kick-started our approach of ‘Playing Above the Game’: – “There’s a lot we can learn from Brann. There’s a lot they can learn from us. Off the pitch we are partners”.

Football Clubs can take trophies and titles, even players, employees and sponsors but never fans! An unparalleled affinity that even the strongest global brands can only dream of.

Rosenborg’s leadership taught us what competition really means in football. A reminder of the truth of what it means ‘to compete’ [a-la ‘konkurrere’ på Norsk], from the latin ‘competere’: to come together, meet, to agree,
coincide in point of time, to be equal to, be capable of.

Footballer’s compete in the colosseums, while brands compete together to lift communities. Relationships that are built on respect and the shared pursuit of high performance. With this, our approach began, how we see brands in football have the greatest impact.

Community identity and sustainability

Football has always been about more than goals and icons. It builds a sense of belonging and identity. Across Europe, initiatives like grassroots youth football, women’s and girls’ teams, and games for older generations have created new platforms for the sport.

These programs are about more than just participation, supporting healthier, more inclusive communities. Qualities that are directly connected to grassroots teams, professional clubs, to county and national federations.

Here commercial brand partnerships have a unique opportunity, supporting initiatives not just financially, but as active initiatives in the community. Offering commercial and social partners a platform to enhance both fan loyalty and community well-being.

With the spirit of high performance, personal development and team life, associations built uniquely from football sponsorships demand that commercial partners not just see football as real estate for logo placement – ‘paying for eyeballs’, also ‘working for hearts and minds’; collaborating by taking action on shared objectives and innovation that otherwise couldn’t be realised.

Finding the creative opportunities, between clubs and commercial or social partners, starts by sharing strategic objectives. Shared problems, purpose and ambitions.

We saw this with Schibsted Media, developing their product strategy for regional newspapers between 2014 and 2021, moving from print to digital. Delivering less and less papers to doorsteps and shops, regional media brands were confronted with a big question; ‘How are we connected to ‘our region’?’

The answer came in their relationship to football. Resulting in greater investment as commercial partners in sponsorships, as well as focused innovation on new fan centred products to leverage that affinity into their digital subscription model.

As many local icons of communities go online and/or are replaced by the generic, the authenticity and equity of football brands grow. As does the commercial and social value for commercial partners, football becomes a stronger platform to build authentic brand experiences that resonate with the community and deepen engagement from consumer to fan.

From prototype to production: The art of iteration

In a dynamic digital environment, agility is not a mere methodology but a survival trait. Nonspace operates on an iterative design process. This process allows the client and the developer to learn from each iteration while adapting and refining the project. It's not just about getting your website live; it's about ensuring it continues providing value and adapting to the market's ever-changing demands.

Football as a Creative Playground

Football brands have always been platforms where fans actively shape their identities – connected from the grassroots of fan culture and small teams up to the World Cup. Federations, leagues, and associations are used as platforms for clubs. Clubs as platforms for teams. Media and entertainment platforms for all of these and interactive experiences. Commercial brands are positioned across all levels.

In the age of ‘hyper-commercial football’ and ‘uber-professional branding’, embracing what has always been part of football and where innovation burns brightest has never been more important; to keep it real.

Beyond the commercial ecosystem of official ‘platforms’ are the most vibrant and expressive playgrounds of fan culture. From content creation and design to music and digital platforms, clubs can engage their fans as collaborators, building a vibrant, participatory culture around the brand. Tattoos to knitted scarves, handmade banners of the ultra supporters, podcasts and fan forums, fan social media channels, and songs sung from the terraces and school yards.

Inspired by Giorgio Ricci of Juventus we took this into our work with Rosenborg. In partnership with Manufacture Oslo, we developed Unbranded, a fashion line from Rosenborg that appeals to those who may not even be traditional football fans. Through this, Rosenborg has made a space for new audiences to be part of the club.

Furthermore, events like the Helt Rå conference in partnership with SpareBank 1 SMN demonstrate how the club’s brand serves as a platform for leadership where needed, alliances, and social progress.

From the open-source fan culture to extensions of the core brand to reach new fans, football is a landscape of brand relationships that demands and inspires creativity.

Play bigger, play better. Play above the game

Seizing the opportunities and future wins as a football brand or as a commercial/social partner lies in the ability to play above the game. Through this approach, embracing diversity, promoting health, fostering generational connections, and more, football can inspire lasting change and sustainable returns.

Our mission is to encourage brands to think beyond traditional sponsorships and team rivalries, to be creative, working for the win:win:wins with and for fans. As more adopt this mindset, we believe football’s influence will extend far beyond the pitch, creating healthier, more inclusive communities and setting new standards of success in the beautiful game.

Extra time?

Get in touch to discover more about our work with football and sports brands and our approach.

Tom Morgan

Partner & Head of Strategy

T: +47 971 09 207

E: tom@nonspace.no