Aston Villa has appointed tech agency Great State to future-proof its digital strategy, as it strengthens its online customer experience. The appointment signifies how football clubs are becoming more digitally savvy and striving to enrich their fans’ enjoyment and participation online. The club said it wants to "deliver a customer-first digital proposition to market". “We’re trying hard to upgrade our entire digital footprint at Villa, sourcing and developing partnerships that can bring fan-facing channels to the forefront of our communications,” explained Will Radford, head of media and content at Aston Villa. “We have a start-up mentality and in the current landscape are keen to find firms who offer value but also genuine creativity and innovation. Great State fits that model well, they are young and hungry to achieve great things in the sports and technology space. We can’t wait to get started.” Football clubs are beginning to invest more into their digital strategies. For example, last year Manchester United launched a Netflix-like subscription app to give them access to on-demand content and live streams. The agency will work with Villa on digital strategy, and together they have ambitious development plans to improve the club’s digital B2C channels, including their official website – avfc.co.uk. Founded this year, Great State has already worked with a number of big brands, including Adidas, Jaguar and Asos. “It’s a real privilege to work with a client like Aston Villa. Our football report highlighted that digital now attracts more fans than traditional media, something that resonated with Villa and ultimately lead to our partnership,” said Neil Collard, managing director at Great State. He added: “We share the belief that it’s critical to give this the investment and focus it deserves to maintain relevance with Villa fans and partners worldwide. // Featured in this article Great State Great State is a brand technology agency.
English Championship side Aston Villa has appointed UK agency Great State to upgrade the club's digital footprint. The company will help improve Villa's digital B2C channels and website as part of a "customer-first digital proposition".