Southampton Football Club’s fans are nothing if not loyal. To reward them for their support, the team has launched an annual Season in Numbers campaign — a recap of every fan’s journey throughout the season.
Connecting with fans on a 1:1 level is a great way to inspire loyalty. But to kick things up a notch, Saints turned to our Next Generation Video Platform to power this year’s award-winning campaign.
The result? A Season in Numbers unlike any other — more personalized, visually engaging and data-driven than ever before. Check out what one of these videos looks like in action.
While fans share a common love for the game, each individual’s journey is different. How many matches did they attend? What memorable moments did they see in-person? The recap above captured it all in an engaging video format to truly delight and surprise viewers. We’ll dig into the details below.
Season in Numbers: How It Worked
Videos leveraged fan attendance data to create powerful, personal stories — a first of its kind in football. All told, the videos included 20 data points, 7 distinct audience segments and 15 distinct narrative paths to create a video just as unique as the viewer watching it.
Plus, videos featured footage from actual matches. From last-minute goals to cheering fans, viewers could relive the most memorable and exciting moments from the season again and again.
Press play: Rather watch our case study than read about it? Go ahead — click the video above.
The Results
This Season in Numbers campaign saw extraordinary results. Fans loved receiving their very own video reminding them of the moments that made the past season so exciting. Just take a look at the numbers.
- 16x uplift in engagement
- Rewatched by over 20% of viewers
- More than 458 hours total view time
The campaign sparked social engagement across platforms, too. Recap videos are incredibly shareable, and Southampton Football Club’s videos were no different. Viewers took to social media to show off how many matches they had attended, how they ranked among other fans and more.
“The Season in Numbers campaign experienced exponential success, achieving over double our average open rate and nearly ten times our average CTOR,” wrote Jack Walking, Head of Direct Marketing, Data & Analytics at Southampton Football Club. “One of the main reasons behind the level of success this campaign has experienced is our upfront investment in in-depth planning, research, and understanding — to develop the campaign into what it is now.”
Hitting the back of the net with a win @SouthamptonFC Southampton Football Club – Season In Numbers score the Award for Best Use of Personalisation #UKDEAwards 🥅⚽ pic.twitter.com/TqYZ9AMEbm
— Don't Panic Events (@dontpanicevents) January 19, 2023
The campaign also took home Best Use of Personalisation at the 2023 UK Digital Excellence Awards. Here’s what the judges had to say about it:
We thought this was a brilliant use of personalization for their fans. We particularly loved their creative, well thought-out strategy and they did a fantastic job of linking everything together. Excellent work!
Southampton Football Club team after winning Best Use of Personalisation
Recap Campaigns Across Industries
We’ve seen first-hand how recap campaigns surprise and delight customers, whether it’s a highlights reel for hundreds of thousands of gamers or a personalized year in review for your most loyal customers. We wrote an entire article covering the benefits brands are seeing from leveraging these videos.
Put simply, personalized recap campaigns celebrate viewers — and that makes them feel valued. Our own research shows Personalized Video has customers feeling 4.5x more valued.
Show customers how far they’ve come with your brand, whether it’s reaching a new fitness goal or unlocking a new level. Shout out their accomplishments with a video they can then show off to others, sparking social engagement and driving word-of-mouth marketing. This year-in-review video from Ubisoft is another great example of what these videos look like in action.
Plus, videos like these give your customers insight into their journey with your brand. How long have they been a customer? What accomplishments have they made? It’s a great way to remind customers of the value your brand brings — and why they should keep coming back.
Ending the Season on a High Note
Southampton Football Club loves their fans. These personalized recap videos were the perfect way to show their appreciation, celebrating every viewer’s loyalty and highlighting the heart-racing moments that bring fans back to the stadium every season.
And, as we touched on before, other brands are inspiring loyalty with the same type of videos. Utility providers are showing customers their contributions to a greener future. Travel brands are reminding customers of their last vacation, and inspiring them to plan another.
What story can you tell your customers? What moments are you looking to share? Schedule a 15-minute call to get started.
