West Ham and Mirum Kick off New Digital Push to Connect Club with Global Fans
HONG KONG (PRWEB) March 04, 2015 -- English Premier League football club West Ham United F.C. has launched http://www.whufc.com, an new official website created by Mirum Hong Kong that bridges the gap between social media and traditional club sites, propelling football into the digital age.
West Ham brought Mirum on board in June 2014 to develop its global digital strategy after a competitive pitch. The new site, which offers fans both new ways to interact with the club and a consistent fan experience across all devices, is the first part of holistic digital plan that will roll out this year.
Over the last five years club sites have struggled to retain fan loyalty in the face of a massive competition from social media. At the core of the strategy for the new site is to reverse this trend by focusing on ways to truly engage fans using a combination of great technology blended with a truly informative and entertaining content strategy.
The new site’s offerings include West Ham Live, like a text-based talk-radio station it provides a wide range of programming, including extensive post-match analysis, live player and celebrity discussions and quizzes and competitions, and a Live Match Centre, which provides an exciting mix of audio commentary and text input from West Ham Live, bringing the fans and club together in the most important 90 minutes of every week. In addition fans will be provided a breathtaking mix of ‘live’ match statistics as well as a live picture stream.
Other features include My West Ham, a personalised page that offers members access to a vast amount of premium content including West Ham TV and West Ham Live, as well as personalised news, exclusive club deals and the ability to vote on key club polls.
The site also offers an Integrated Supporters Clubs, which aims to create a sense of community for fans around the world. Fans will be able to join their local club with the click of a button and immediately access local news, event and most importantly, other fans.
The new site aims to bridge the divide between social and club, enabling a consistent fan experience across every device as well as creating a global community. The platform design will support the growth and club culture that will shape the future for West Ham and its fans, as they ready to leave Boleyn Ground for the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in 2016.
“Our aim was to create a platform for supporters to be able to engage with club, the management, players and each other within one unified platform,” said Win Mak, CEO, Mirum Hong Kong. “With the club moving to the Olympic Stadium in 2016 this is a particularly exciting time for West Ham and Mirum to demonstrate how innovative thinking can help to revolutionize the fan experience at every point.”
“Mirum’s understanding of the footballing market combined with a great technical vision made them the obvious choice for West Ham. And they’ve done a fantastic job with this incredibly innovative site, which will help us build deeper, more personal connections with our fans,” said Angus Kinnear, Managing Director, West Ham United FC.
The next phase of the club’s digital strategy will focus on the club’s move to the new stadium. “We see massive potential to enhance the whole match day experience, from helping people to find their seats to video replays during the match and games to keep the fans entertained during half-time,” said Mak.
About the Website
West Ham Live
Like a talk radio station, West Ham Live finally provides fans with a way to constantly engage with their club. The club’s daily schedule will provide a wide range of programming including extensive post-match analysis, live player and celebrity discussions and quizzes and competitions. The story of the day at West Ham can now be told.
Integrated Supporters Clubs
Creating a sense of community for its fans around the world is a key part of West Ham’s strategy, and for the first time a club website will offer an integrated supporters club. Fans will be able to join their local club with the click of a button and immediately access local news, event and most importantly fans! Supporter Club owners are provided with all the tools necessary to manage news and new members.
My West Ham
The site’s built-in membership offers access to a vast amount of premium content including West Ham TV and West Ham Live. Members are also offered a private area on the site where they can access personalised news and exclusive club deals as well as voting on key club polls.
Live Match Centre
The Live Match Centre provides an exciting mix of audio commentary and text input from West Ham Live where fans and club will come together in the most important 90 minutes of every week. In addition fans will be provided a breathtaking mix of ‘live’ match statistics as well as a live picture stream.
Our Technology
From a technology standpoint, the new West Ham United website fully utilizes the benefits of cloud computing. From an integrated infrastructure and application services that significantly eases development and operations to having global reach provided by data centres and a CDN presence. It also allows dynamic scalability that enables us to deliver highly dynamic content to a global audience within aggressive timeframes.
About Mirum
Mirum is a new agency created with a pioneering spirit, built by bringing together successful regional companies that have a deep understanding of local market needs. Our principles are rooted in innovation, design, data, marketing and technology to drive business transformation in a world of constantly evolving behaviors and expectations. Operating in 17 countries, with 40 offices and more than 2,200 professionals, Mirum is a global agency that is a part of the J. Walter Thompson Company and WPP family. For more information visit mirumagency.com.
About Mirum Hong Kong | Designercity
Designercity joined XM Asia/JWT in August 2013 and is now Mirum Hong Kong, part of the new global agency Mirum formed in January 2015. Voted as Campaign Asia’s ‘Digital Agency of the Year – Gold 2013’, as pioneers in ‘Connected Experience’ solutions, Mirum Hong Kong integrate online, mobile, multi-touch and digital touch-points to offer an all-encompassing digital service to brands and businesses across the world. The company delivers large-scale projects for major clients across the hospitality, retail, finance, sports and corporate sectors. For more information visit http://www.designercity.com.
WORLDWIDE, ALL ENQUIRIES, Jinie Kwak, +1 646-244-6190, [email protected]
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