The second day of the OFC Director General's Executive Programme Workshop, held in Auckland earlier this month, focused on digital marketing and club licensing.
The two-day workshop, held at OFC's home ground, Te Kahu Okiwa, was funded by UEFA through the English Football Association.
The day began with a presentation on digital marketing by OFC's Head of Commercial and Communications, Stephie Ah Yuk, and Football Federation of Australia Vice President, Jackie Lee-Joe, who shared a case study on the incredible success the Australian women's Matildas have achieved through their digital marketing campaign.
The Digital Marketing session facilitated a discussion on the benefits of digital marketing to Member Associations (MAs) and the role of the CEO or Secretary General in this area.
“The bigger picture here, and one that speaks to our CEO, is the question: 'Why digital marketing?' Fundamentally, MA wants to host tournaments that sell out stadiums, increase fan engagement by fostering a sense of community, and ultimately attract more sponsors and increase revenue. The best way to achieve this is through digital marketing,” said Ah Yuk.
New Zealand Football Union CEO Andrew Pragnell said digital marketing was a major focus for the union.
“Digital channels continue to grow for us and are arguably the most important tool for reaching our fans, connecting with our partners and sponsors and communicating the key messages we want to get across to the football community,” Pragnell said.
Lee Jo spoke about the phenomenal success the Matildas achieved not only through their on-field performance at last year's FWWC 23, but also through their digital marketing campaign which promoted the team by telling their story.
“Our players are the perfect role models for so many women and girls. Whether it's returning to work after having children, being an Indigenous woman representing Australia or the challenges of balancing relationships with an international professional career, their stories are relatable, motivational and inspiring.
Lee Jo gave sound advice to the Secretary-General on what tactics can be adopted to generate engagement.
“We will develop partnerships with channels that prioritize compelling talent and sports content, including YouTube, Meta, Twitter and TikTok. By leveraging collaborations with other digital partners, clubs, players and influencers, we can grow viewership, subscribers and followers,” said Lee Jo.
OFC Club and League Manager Steven Dillon hosted an interactive session on how MA can utilise club licensing to make an impact on the association.
(Photo courtesy of OFC Media)
“As a result, we were able to provide an information session that provided a refresher on the impact of the club's continued development within both the men's and women's domestic leagues,” Dillon said.
The session outlined the benefits that a focus on development in this area will have on the standard of football in the country and how important the role of the Secretary General is in setting up associations to further establish or improve club development and continually support member clubs in the process.
“This is a particularly important area when it comes to the domestic league. One thing I have learnt is that if we improve the domestic league then the national team will perform better, so we need to improve the level of management of the clubs within the league,” Solomon Islands Secretary General Leonard Paia said.
OFC continues to engage with the Secretary-General, with the next workshop planned for October.
