Just because you don’t win a sporting final doesn’t mean you can’t revel in how you got there.
This was especially true for the media and content team in the ultimately unsuccessful 2017/18 campaign.
There was a big build-up on social media channels in the days preceding the showpiece at Wembley against Fulham.
The final result was a 1-0 defeat but the coverage that was produced beforehand is worth looking back at.
The social media theme for that season had featured classic film themes.
Instead of ET, there’s been JT. Instead of The Godfather, we’ve had The Snodfather. Rather than Jurassic Park, it’s been Villa Park. Replacing Ocean’s XI, we’ve had Bruce’s XI.
But the media and content team took it to the next level by giving the ‘main event’ its own movie identity.
‘It’s Time To Roar’ was the title and a host of promos were produced all week to build interest ahead of the final.
These consisted of individual graphics – each featuring either a player, the manager or the owner – and eventually knitted together to form a finished film poster.
I drew inspiration from Star Wars movie ‘Solo’, who had adopted a similar strategy in the build-up to that film release.
They’d teased characters from the new film individually – and then produced a final poster, too.
For Aston Villa too, all the promos came together in one beautiful pre-match illustration, which also adorned the club’s header space on Twitter and Facebook.
And, as if that wasn’t not enough, I also commissioned an official teaser video trailer.
Building more interest, it was fronted by famous voice artist, Redd Pepper.
Pepper is a huge claret and blue fan and was thrilled to get involved with the Wembley excitement.
It ultimately didn’t end in cheers and champagne and that’s what everyone rightly remembers.
However, it doesn’t mean that the media and content team can’t look back at a job well-done in the area it could influence.
Paul Brown 