Challenge

Umbro’s global image was inconsistent. In Japan, the brand
was considered quite cool. In England, Umbro was mostly
found in bargain bins. While competitors like Nike, Adidas,
Puma and Reebok had moved into lifestyle product ranges,
Umbro lagged behind, still relying heavily on England
football shirt sales. Our challenge was to build a compelling
brand positioning to align the markets around a single
voice, staying focused on football, but enabling Umbro
to move into more lifestyle driven opportunities.

Approach

We gained insight into the brand, football, lifestyle and
culture with over five thousand people in 16 cities in seven
countries around the world. We did street interviews in
Beijing, spoke to fashion designers in Berlin, filmmakers
in Hollywood and conducted ethnography with football
fans in Amsterdam. We used the insight to create target
typologies to drive a brand positioning and vision – one
which encapsulates the brand’s Britishness and the theater
of ‘the beautiful game’.

Results

Nike stated that the strong strategy influenced its decision
to buy Umbro in 2007. Campaigns based on the new
positioning such as ‘Tailored by England’ by Exposure and Anomaly in the UK had huge success: 14 million people reached, 19 press features worth £9m PR value (AVE £3m).