The recent journey of Venezia FC and what next for the brand after the NOCTA deal? 🤔
Drake's return post-Kendrick saga sees him revive Venetia. This week we're looking at Ted Philipakos and Sonya Kondratenko's roles as architects in Venezia's brand journey.
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Venezia FC is regarded as one of “the most fashionable football clubs in the world”. This was all by design. The lead architects of this brand were Ted Philipakos and Sonya Kondratenko. Philipakos was the Chief Brand Officer and Kondratenko was the Media Director. Both are now working their magic at Greek side Athens Kallithea FC. Philipakos, initially joined Venezia in 2015. This came on the back of a third bankruptcy in just 10 years. This first stint lasted just one year. But he returned for good in 2020 and convinced Kondratenko to join him.
The two had the responsibility to build a bold new identity for the club. One that reached new audiences, past the Venice locals. They recognised a change in the global football landscape.
‘You started to see the blurring of the lines, this blending of football culture with broader culture’.
With this insight Ted Philipakos had a vision.
‘where a small club could engage more people than ever before, especially with stories that went beyond the pitch’.
For the Gen Z football fan, we have unparalleled access through social media. It makes the off-field stories increasingly important. The behavioural shift for fans to champion players points in this direction. Players now offer their audience greater insight into their lives off-field. Fans are hearing their favourite players’ stories straight from the source. In 2020, Venezia FC were ahead of the curve. They gave the club a voice to tell its story. The club captured the essence of the picturesque location of Venice.
The first bold move in giving the club a unique voice was ditching Nike as a kit supplier. They signed a deal with Kappa. The Italian sportswear company gave the club creative control of the design. The Venetian cues in the kits have been ever-present since.
In the 21/22 season the club had been newly promoted to Seria A but got relegated to Seria B at the end of the season. However, the vision for the brand remained strong. Their on-pitch woes did not impact their decision-making off-field.
Philipakos - “From the beginning, the stylisation of the brand, the importance we’ve given to the brand, it transcended what league we happened to be in.”
This authenticity to continue communicating their story is powerful. When I worked at football clubs I felt that once trouble hit on-field, off-field strategy went out the window. If a club went through a bad spell, communication and marketing would become mute. Throughout their promotions and relegations Venezia FC have continued to tell the story of Venice.
Venezia FC is more than just a club. It’s a brand that tells stories. That’s why the new generation of football fans buy into the club and the lifestyle it communicates. As a result the club has been able to engage audiences past the border of Italy. Philipakos stated that 95% of online sales were from outside Italy. The biggest markets being the US, UK, western Europe, Japan and Korea. In Serie B they sold 4x the number of kits than the previous year in Serie A.
New audiences loved the Kappa Kits. But the clubs most vocal and local fans, did not like the new kit. However, to attract new consumers to the brand, the club has to look past the unhappy locals. The locals will still support the club regardless if they like the kit or not. Their ties to the club are deeper than a kit. Whereas for new audiences, the premium looking-kits were an entry point into the brand.
Now fast-forward to earlier this year and the club was facing bankruptcy again. In comes Drake. The unlikely saviour who saved the club from the brink of Serie D. Drake and his business partner, Matte Babel, worked alongside Venezia co-owner Brad Katsuyama to raise $40m to save the club. If the club hadn’t focussed on communicating its story in recent years, would the likes of Drake have saved the club? Probably not.
It’s heartbreaking to see the Kappa x Venezia FC relationship end. No cap Kappa do the best kits. The streets won’t forget Betis and Barca 95-97 🤌. Kappa Kit lovers and the cultured football fan are in tears. But once again to grow, Venezia have to look past its existing audience and attract new fans. The NOCTA partnership provides a fresh opportunity. One that can take the Venezia FC brand into new communities. A move that further increases the global appeal of the club. NOCTA is the streetwear off-shoot brand from Nike, headed up by Drake.
Regardless of Drake getting cooked by Kendrick, his global superstar status remains. Venezia FC have already successfully leveraged the convergence of football and fashion culture. There's an opportunity to weave Drake's musical talents into the local Venetian story. Luxury fashion houses have used Venice as a backdrop for their look books. Can Drake’s OVO label tap into the local Venice culture for music? Is there a local musician they can sample? Earlier this year we saw Ye sample Inter Milan fans for his single carnival.
Furthermore, Nocta are a streetwear brand. This differs from the high-fashion look Venezia FC have maintained in recent years. It will be interesting to see how this manifests itself with product design in the coming season. And how they maintain the balance between high-end looks with streetwear. But yet again it presents an exciting opportunity to attract another niche community.
This collaboration between NOCTA and Venezia FC is a product of a long-term vision. Shoutout Ted Philipakos and Sonya Kondratenko for pioneering this. Venezia FC is a powerful brand that tells authentic stories of the Venetian culture to the world. Storytelling always wins.
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