Brain games, ‘LA-style’ creator labs & TikTok: Embracing innovation at Juventus

Juventus have found many younger fans are now deciding which clubs to follow not based on family affiliations or where their star players are, but rather those who produce the best content. Think Wrexham as an extreme example.

Local fans have the geographical pull and connection of going to the stadium, but Juventus calculate 90% of their fanbase is now outside of Italy and recently built what Armstrong describes as a “LA-style” creator lab to feed that wider audience, bringing together influencers, creators, editors and videographers.

They have become a leading TikTok account in the process and were the first club to deliver a mini-series on the platform, focusing on their ‘Next Gen’ side, having previously produced an All or Nothing series on the first team for Amazon.

“We have done a lot to differentiate ourselves and we are seeing the results,” explains Armstrong. “In a time where we have seen Ronaldo exit Juventus, we have actually seen a dramatic growth in our video views.”

Rather than other football clubs, Armstrong sees Juventus competing for engagement with the likes of WWE, the NBA or Disney.

“For me, that is why innovation is extra important because the competition is all industries within the media world now,” he says.

“People don’t wake up and programme their day, say ‘OK, I’m going to watch BBC Sport at this moment and then read these articles here, and tune into Juventus there…’ it is just everything is being thrown at them all at once and we all need to try and find a way to earn attention.

“Most teams rely on big, star players with hundreds of millions of followers and performance on the pitch to drive the digital business, what we’re building is a model that is working without the necessity to rely on huge star players and, to some extent, performance on the pitch.”