https://arab.news/pzazz
- In the second of a three-part series, Arab News looks at how the Jeddah club are growing and developing their brand, both locally and internationally
AUSTRALIA: The name Al-Ittihad is now known around the world as much as it is regionally, thanks largely to the arrival of Karim Benzema,.
The Ballon d鈥橭r winner turbocharged recognition of the club鈥檚 name among football aficionados around the world; these days, the team鈥檚 kit can be found on the streets of Rio de Janeiro, Rome or Rabat.
It has given the club an incredible platform on which to grow its international profile. However, perhaps conscious of how some European clubs have chased international support at the expense of domestic, Al-Ittihad insist their primary focus is the local fan base, especially within the immediate Middle East and North Africa region.
鈥淲hat we鈥檙e trying to do, as of today, is to really focus on the local market,鈥� explained Turki Khorsheed, the club鈥檚 senior branding manager.
鈥淲e are local first. We are trying to really enhance the local experience here from every touch point we鈥檝e got in the digital ecosystem. We鈥檙e working on a very exciting project, digital transformation, to really expand the brand and how you can interact with it for the local market.
鈥淭he fans really want more. They really want more events, opportunities, touch points. Everyone is proud of the business. They want to see a store at every corner. So we鈥檙e working on that infrastructure, and then also using the stars as vehicles to talk to the global market.鈥�
That鈥檚 not to say the club is uninterested in expanding the global fanbase 鈥� it has a large following in Brazil, France, Indonesia, India and China 鈥� but doing so is more a by-product of the work the league is doing than a central focus.
鈥淎s of today, the global stage, or the global arena, is kind of a secondary goal for us as it鈥檚 happening,鈥� Khorsheed told Arab News.
鈥淭he SPL obviously has invested a lot in the league where it becomes more enjoyable for the global audience. Players are coming in from all the global teams, and kind of adding that global feel to the league and to the games. So we are kind of getting that halo effect from all of these initiatives that are happening.鈥�
One of those, announced by the Saudi Pro League this week, is larger strategic investment in Brazil, with dedicated content tailored for the Brazilian market and a greater collaboration between leagues.
While the league does a lot of the heavy lifting, it does not mean Al-Ittihad are ignoring their global audience completely.
As the club, officially regarded as the oldest in the Kingdom, approaches its centennial celebrations in 2027, the focus is on preserving its heritage and working on ways to tell its story in a way that resonates with fans around the world.
Clubs everywhere are built on their history, and Al-Ittihad are determined to ensure theirs sits at the heart of everything they do; the word 鈥渉eritage鈥� was mentioned 12 times in the interview with Khorsheed.
鈥淭he heritage is a key aspect of this brand,鈥� he explained. 鈥淚t really brings all the culture. It brings everything behind the brand, as it鈥檚 something you can鈥檛 buy. It needs time, it needs care to really nurture, to have such a heritage filled history.
鈥淲e鈥檙e proud that we date back to 1927 and want to preserve that heritage whilst also improving and enhancing operations all across the business.鈥�
He added: 鈥淲hat we鈥檙e doing today is we鈥檙e trying to preserve the heritage and to create this unique experience with the fans. By creating 鈥業tti TV鈥� we鈥檙e working on something very exciting for the club, to preserve that heritage and to educate further the global audience on the history.
鈥淲e鈥檙e creating mini documentaries, some episodes, webisodes, podcasts to talk about the heritage. We鈥檙e working on a few projects, such as a museum, to really preserve the heritage.鈥�
Other initiatives include pre-season tours, which last year took the team to Spain, Portugal and Italy for matches against clubs such as Sevilla, Real Betis and Inter Milan and tapped into new audiences.
Like every other aspect of the Al-Ittihad business, explored in Part One of Inside Ittihad, fan engagement strategies, marketing and branding are also undergoing a transformation.
Five new brand values spelling out the word 鈥淪UPER鈥� 鈥� sportsmanship, unity, pioneering, excellence and resilience 鈥� have been developed to underpin everything Al-Ittihad does as a club.
Those values are borne out in projects like the new flagship retail store at Jeddah Park, which 鈥渕erges tradition with innovation鈥� through features such as a holographic portal and the 鈥淚tti Lab,鈥� where fans can customize their merchandise.
Then there鈥檚 this year鈥檚 third kit, the club鈥檚 first-ever jersey designed using artificial intelligence which produced a striking design that was an instant hit with fans.
Further, as the club looks to enhance the value of the Al-Ittihad brand, there is the possibility of a new logo to coincide with the 2027 centennial celebrations.
鈥淲e are due a refresh of the brand and logo,鈥� Khorsheed explained. 鈥淥bviously, there is a lot of chatter about brand lifecycles and when is the best time to move to a (new) brand. However, we are nearing the centennial. So with (that) comes an opportunity to kind of re-present the brand.鈥�
Eagle-eyed fans will have already noticed the club has incorporated a new logo of sorts on its training apparel, as well as on this season鈥檚 away and third kits; the shield component stands alone, removed from the 鈥�1鈥� silhouette.
This, Khorsheed said, was a deliberate strategy to test the appetite for a new and improved brand moving forward.
鈥淥bviously, the 鈥�1鈥� brings a lot of heritage to the brand and the business,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very iconic, just to have that 鈥�1鈥� there, but having the (shield) inside it caused a few limitations when it (came) to scalability of the business.
鈥淪o this was more or less a test to see how well it is received, and to see how far we can take the logo. We just separated it as an activity, just to see how well it sits with audiences, (and) get a taste and a feel. And we鈥檙e getting all that data back. We鈥檙e doing qualitative and quantitative studies just to see what we want to do when it comes to the centennial (celebrations).鈥�
Whether Benzema will be there for those celebrations remains to be seen. Certainly on current form, the Frenc legend easily has a few years left. But every player has an expiry date, and there will come a time when he moves on.
So while the club naturally leans into its Ballon d鈥橭r-winning superstar, it is cautious not to tailor its entire identity and marketing around one player; a trap other clubs have fallen into on signing household names, only to struggle to define their identity when those players leave or retire.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just an opportunity for us to leverage a Ballon d鈥橭r winner, to really bring that global audience,鈥� Khorsheed said.
鈥淥bviously, Karim is doing really well in the league, and he鈥檚 doing great from a brand level also, and from a PR communication level, he鈥檚 a pleasure to work with. The size of Karim and his presence at the club is rather large, so we really like to spearhead comms with him. He brings a kind of weight whenever we (use) him. So there are benefits.
鈥淗owever, we鈥檙e not necessarily leaning towards him so hard where we鈥檙e kind of pushing the brand. The brand in itself is historic and very big.鈥�