The Brief
In early 2005, The LMA decided that it needed to strengthen its online presence by building a new website. Its website at the time was out of date, and proving to be ineffective in the Association’s development. The LMA invited Digital Marmalade to build it a new site – a site which would provide a credible platform for its members and commercial partners, as well as the potential for growth. With a better website in place, it was clear that The LMA would be able to position itself as a cornerstone of the game.
The Solution
When we first met with The LMA it became clear that the organisation was suffering as a result of having a weak brand presence - both online and offline. Its lack of communication channels to the outside world was stopping it from developing and reducing its ability to secure online sponsorship.
There were three particular things that needed to happen in order for The LMA’s potential to be realised. Firstly the design of the website needed to redefine the brand, and the site had to reposition The LMA as a professional, credible enterprise on a par with similar organisations, like the PFA. With nothing more than a logo this meant we needed to produce the entire design concept for the site, and therefore the brand.
We wanted to create a website which would act as a definitive research tool – there was a specific gap in the market for a resource that focused solely on managers and their achievements. So we sourced all managerial achievements and appointments since the 1880’s, and put this information into an organised database. The other challenge was to build the technology that The LMA needed to distribute their official statements. With the media’s obsession with football, it is essential that in order for The LMA’s voice to be heard, it can quickly publish statements. The system that we created allows the LMA to send these statements directly to its members, the press and the public through a simple backend interface.
At the time of the site’s construction, The LMA was in loose discussions with potential sponsors. All were unwilling to align their brand with The LMA’s. This was largely attributed to the fact that its website was so bad. Proof of the success of the site came with a Barclays online sponsorship deal, completed in the two months following the site’s launch. This was coupled with the site seeing 1.5 million hits in one month.
