Manchester City takes bite out of Big Apple

Manchester City FC used its pre-season tour of the USA to hold a series of events aimed at growing its American army f fans, through two marketing events in New York.

Manchester-based evenot and live communications agency Ear to the Ground, which is retained by the club, took over a midtown Manhattan diner and turned it into an official MCFC meeting point, offering fans a discount while the team was in town as part of its pre-season tour. The media was also invited to find out more about the club and its brand.

The firm also created a live music event featuring well-known musicians from Manchester and New York at the High Bar rooftop bar in Hell’s Kitchen. The Hacienda’s Mike Pickering and local legend Afrika Bambaataa performed DJ sets on behalf of their respective cities.

The event was attended by more than 600 people and was covered in The New York Times and Time Out New York as well as other lifestyle and music magazines, websites and blogs.

Ear to the Ground devised the event concept, sourced the venues in Manhattan and secured the talent at the request of Manchester City FC. Other activity included the sponsorship and launch of a community pitch in Harlem, the shooting of the new campaign for the shirt, fans being treated to an open top trip to watch a game and a grass roots street campaign.

Steve Smith, managing director of Ear to the Ground, said: “The ambition of Manchester City FC is to be seen as more than a sports club. We were really pleased to support that with cultural events which transcended a sports readership and helped attract New Yorkers to the MCFC brand.”