Skinkers, communication you can't miss

Skinkers Ltd, the leader in PC alert technology solutions, today announced contracts with Liverpool FC and Manchester United FC. The two Barclays Premiership football clubs are using Skinkers technology to create an interactive, online relationship with their fans and deliver up-to-the minute club news and information in a highly visual and cost-effective way. The FA Premier League is using Skinkers to inform football fans about UK club and player news.

Manchester United
Skinkers is an integral part of Manchester United's multi-media strategy and is being used to help educate and inform the club's geographically diverse fan base.

In addition, Skinkers online research and active filtering technology, is helping Manchester United to build a greater understanding of the preferences and individual needs of its fans so that they can provide personalised news and information in a consistent, timely and relevant manner. In the first instance, data that has been captured will be used to market MU.tv (online video lounge) and send ticket news on forthcoming games. Mark Hargreaves, General Manager, Manchester United Interactive said: "United Alerts are an integral part of our online marketing strategy. Not only does it help increase engagement with our fan base by providing news directly to them also enables us to better understand want they want from the club."

Rob Noble, COO of Skinkers comments: "The implementation of the 'United Alerts' has been a great success and the fans have really embraced the adoption of a new communications channel. A recent message, with news of the Premier League fixtures for the forthcoming season, had a click-through rate of 46 percent! You just wouldn't see this with more traditional methods of communication such as email."

Liverpool FC
Liverpoolfc.tv, the digital media arm of Liverpool Football Club, has e-marketing at the center of it successful supporter communications programme. The Official Club website www.liverpoolfc.tv is the biggest and most trafficked Football Club website in the UK, delivering up to 45m page impressions and 2.7 million unique users monthly (May 2005).

With objectives of enhancing online relationships with their fans, encouraging web visitors to access more areas of the website and communicate breaking news when fans are not online, Liverpoolfc.tv implemented the Skinkers desktop alert solution – 'Anfield Alerts'.

In the first two weeks of launch around 20,000 fans have downloaded the free Liverpoolfc.tv 'Anfield Alerts' to their desktop. Highly visual and LFC branded, 'Anfield Alerts' cuts through email clutter and delivers links to website content such as Club news, ticket information, breaking news and competitions. The Skinkers desktop technology enables fans to view information on the website, run video, participate in surveys, view PDF's and much more. Since launch, fans have been able to sample video content from the recent '20 Moments that Shaped the Rafalution' series, enter competitions to win VIP tickets and been kept up-to-date with Pre-Season news and comment. Moving forward, 'Anfield Alerts' is intended to continue to support the fans in keeping in touch with their Club and will provide a useful channel to market e-Season Ticket, the premium content/video lounge area of the website.

Commenting, Jo Crump, Marketing & Mobile Services Manager, Liverpoolfc.tv said: "'Anfield Alerts' support our key objective of enabling fans to feel close to their Club. We are very happy with the results so far. We have been able to deliver quality content whilst securing greater brand equity."

FA Premier League
Rob Noble, COO of Skinkers concludes: "We're very proud to be associated with so many high profile names in English football. We believe delivering quality, tailored communications is key to organisations maintaining customer relationships and raising brand awareness. Skinkers technology has enabled each of the clubs to achieve just that, as well as develop a more detailed understanding of the needs of their fans."