Manchester design and branding agency Pixel8 has helped to bring premiership footballers including Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes closer to their young fans.

football4football.com is an educational website aimed at players and fans of all ages and offers exclusive video footage of interviews with top stars, who talk personally about their lives in football.

Pixel8, which has two former members of the Manchester United Merchandising creative team amongst its personnel, was appointed to create the football4football logo and branding, then to design and build a fully content managed website featuring media rich content.

Video clips on the website include Ryan Giggs talking about football boots and supplements, Manchester City’s Nigel de Jong encouraging kids to finish school and revealing his love of pasta, and Manchester United’s Darren Fletcher talking about the importance of his dad’s support.

The website will regularly be updated with new video content from big name footballers, coaches, sports dieticians and physios. football4football.com also features sections on nutrition, training, injuries and equipment.

Jamie Watson, joint managing director of Pixel8 said, “football4football.com offers young players, parents and fans a real insight into the professional sport. We have created a brand and built a website that is easily accessible to everyone from the six-year-old who plays for his primary school, up to parents and grandparents of footie mad teenagers.”

Former Ajax and Feyenoord midfielder Dean Gorré, who has been involved from the start of the website’s development, added, “football4football.com offers a unique platform for top players and other participants in the game to give something back. Visitors to the site will see the top names in football talking candidly in exclusive interviews about subjects important to young fans, players and their parents.”

football4football.com was launched at a star studded party at Hanson Hall in the footballer belt of Nether Alderley in Cheshire. In attendance were Everton forward Louis Saha, Stoke City midfielder Salif Diao, Gabriel Obertan from Manchester United along with Manchester United first team coach René Meulensteen and retired players Steve Watson (Newcastle United, Everton, Aston Villa, West Bromwich Albion) and David Thompson (Liverpool, Wigan Athletic, Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers etc).

Visit the new website now at www.football4football.com

When Business Review Europe asked the question ‘What is your true Brand?’ in its September 2010 issue, the answers provided detailed insights into the breadth and importance of effective commercial branding.

Branding is thought of by some, as little more than a logo design but successful branding goes a lot further in defining the proposition; essentially what constitutes how a product or service is perceived by its intended market.

Think for example of Saga Holidays whose corporate image changed in recent years from unadventurous holidays for elderly people to exotic expeditions offering exciting diversions such as scuba diving and horse riding. The change in public perception has not been achieved solely by advertising but was the result of a complete commercial rebranding exercise. Rebranding properly undertaken can transform any company.

Business Review Europe asked Jamie Watson, joint Managing Director of Manchester Design and Branding agency Pixel8 about the value of a brand. With a varied international client list that includes InterContinental Hotels, Manchester United and Kellogg’s, Pixel8 is a branding agency that’s well placed to answer this question.

“Your brand is the key element that sets your company apart from all its competitors” explained Jamie. “It forms the non-tangible part of your offer; the ‘reasons to believe.’ ”

Jamie went on to observe that companies with correctly targeted branding can charge a premium over non-branded products because of their association with the target audience.

Business Review Europe was shown how, frequently, a company does not fully understand its own brand, with a gap forming between where the company wants their brand to be and how the customer perceives it. In addition to initial perception, it needs to be recognised that a brand is like a living organism, in that the ways of reaching the target audience will be constantly changing.

Sometimes, the personality of a brand may need to change and care must always be taken to ensure that the brand stays close to its customer base.  Jamie Watson emphasised the importance of this, pointing out that “Branding increases the emotional appeal of a product or service to a particular group of customers.” Agencies such as Pixle8 help companies to have a fuller and more effective understanding of their customers.

The article also explored how, depending on how well or not a company knows its target market, rebranding can work for or against a company. Jamie showed how using an experienced branding agency like Pixel8 can ensure that rebranding definitely works to a company’s advantage, and ensures that a brand is strong enough to adapt and survive in constantly changing market conditions, customer tastes and media opportunities.

To read the complete article, please visit Business Review Europe.

For more information please visit corporate branding, company rebranding Q & A or call Jamie Watson on 0161 228 6489 – 0845 230 1336 or contact him by e-mail

Manchester design, marketing and branding agency Pixel8 has had a busy summer, welcoming two new full time staff and moving into larger premises.

Art director Angelina McPherson has joined from Xerox and new Pixel8 office manager Susan Berkon was formerly employed in the same role at law firm Kennedys.

Angelina, who has 10 years agency experience, was previously lead creative designer for northern accounts at Xerox, with blue chip clients including Morrisons.

Angelina said, “The office move went really well and I’m already working on several new accounts, including a brand redesign for a group of international hotels”.

The new Pixel8 offices are located on Little Lever Street in Manchester’s creative Northern Quarter, just a short walk from their old Houldsworth Street studio.

Joint managing director Jamie Watson said, “With so many new appointments over the past year, our old office was bursting at the seams. Although our clients loved it for its quirkiness, we think our new offices retain the charm, whilst adding plenty of room to expand even further.”

Watch Pixel8’s latest animation www.pixel8ltd.com