The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) and the Football Association (FA) have formed an unlikely team to gain greater insight into the niche sector of marketing communications from Premier league football clubs to their fans.

Launched today (14 July 2011) at an event hosted by the co-partners at Wembley Stadium, the inaugural FA Email Marketing Study aims to shed light on how football clubs are using digital marketing to cement fan loyalty, increase revenue from branded merchandise and provide platforms for their sponsors to reach out to their fan base.

The study surveyed 13 of the 20 clubs playing in the Premier league in the 2010-2011 season. The study’s findings reveal that the average club retains a database of 360,000 email addresses, that the sector’s monthly contact rate of 4.9 is double that of typical B2C brands and that 42 per cent of clubs’ marketers plan to increase their email marketing over the coming year. Other surprise revelations include the fact that the majority of clubs rated mobile SMS and social media marketing as being of more importance to them than email marketing. 

Commenting on the findings, Ross Caddy, head of media channels and research for the DMA, said:

“Football clubs are unique B2C brands; they have devoted, loyal fan bases that are passionate about the clubs they support. While they are fans, they are also consumers through buying tickets and club merchandise. 

“This study reveals how brands that are fortunate enough to have fans, rather than just customers, are using digital marketing to transform existing relationships with their followers to reach their sales goals.” 

Caddy adds:

“It’s particularly interesting to see so many clubs focusing on mobile communications over the coming year. This reflects the fact that more and more people are switching to email-friendly smartphones.” 

Download the the annual FA Email Marketing Study.   

For press enquires, please contact: 

DMA PR manager Tristan Garrick 

Tel : 020 7291 3315 

Email: tristan.garrick@dma.org.uk