Effective positioning and brand story for OH Leuven

Football club Oud-Heverlee Leuven has done a lot of work in recent years to find and reinvent itself. The club formulated the motto ‘The Club of the Future’ and was keen to promote it externally. But how do you externalise the internal energy, shared belief and initiatives that go into fulfilling that ideal?

As always, Shaved Monkey started by laying a solid foundation to build on. This first phase entailed refining a series of insights into the club and its initiatives. To do this, we spoke to all stakeholders: the board, coach, players, referees, volunteers and parents of youth players. This gave us an in-depth understanding of what ‘the club of the future’ actually means – what are its values, its unique characteristics, its ambitions, its place in society? – and how exactly this motto is realised.

Shaved Monkey then set to work on the strategic and creative translation of this vision. We converted these internal viewpoints into a moving and inspiring story. A story that shows that football has an exemplary role in wider society, and a good football club does more than play good football. We also showed how this message can be effective in the outside world and can further inspire and strengthen internal initiatives.

The result was an inspirational guide, a ‘playbook’ that helps OH Leuven use the story in a purposeful way. In it, possible directions are presented for practical application via activities, internal communication, new initiatives, and marketing and PR aimed at specific target groups. It is thus a document that both reflects OH Leuven’s identity and ambition and provides tangible guidance on how the club can make a difference with its actions every day.