You’re making it better for them.
By God, Liverpool fans have earned the right to bask in the celebration of a league title they waited 30 years for, and then had to wait a few more pandemic months for on top of that.
They more than deserve it after all the crap they put up with along the way to a phenomenal outfit that produced two relentlessly brilliant seasons back to back.
So we’ll forgive them for enjoying it, even if that enjoyment is going far and wide now.
The Anfield Wrap is helping to spread that feeling. The Liverpool FC podcast, video and writing platform launched a Feel Closer campaign after the league win – knowing fans couldn’t be there to celebrate together, they wanted to give them something.
That’s why six billboards popped up around Dublin. Not one. Six.
What is this. pic.twitter.com/0VNAro8cl7
— Rob O'Hanrahan (@RobOHanrahan) November 9, 2020
As you can imagine, the natural life cycle unfolded for this ad in Dublin.
Firstly, it hit its target audience. They enjoyed it. They took pictures. They spread it.
Then, the backlash.
The non-Liverpool supporters. The ‘how sad’ branch. The ‘celebrating an English team in Ireland’ division. It was all there. All angry. All effective marketing for The Anfield Wrap, who’s main priority is the LFC fan base.
“Last season we did a Trent Alexander Arnold mural and that was a landmark beside the stadium for fans from all over,” Craig Hannan does brand and marketing for TAW and, raised just outside Belfast, he understands naturally that Anfield has a special place beyond just Liverpool.
“We wanted it to be something for the city of Liverpool but for fans from all over to be able to travel and see.”
“This season, we wanted to do something with Liverpool winning the Premier League but obviously because of the pandemic, we knew it would be more difficult because people couldn’t travel and we knew that fans would’ve come from all over to a parade in Liverpool and they weren’t able to. And that was sort of stolen from them.
“So we wanted to do something in cities where out subscribers asked us to come to.”
So they went to Belfast.
@TheAnfieldWrap Dark Belfast morning made brighter #YNWA ✊🏻 pic.twitter.com/8qImwo4QPW
— Stephen Walker (@swalker004) September 23, 2020
Soon, Dublin was on the cards.
“We had loads of requests for Dublin from our listeners,” Hannan explained.
“Dublin’s a bit of a sister city to Liverpool, there’s links throughout Liverpool’s history and you’ll do well to meet a Scouser that doesn’t have links back to Ireland.
“Jurgen Klopp said this week: ‘Scousers are Irish men that were able to swim.’
“To be honest, the billboards went viral about three weeks ago and Liverpool fans were made up with them and we were getting pictures sent and us tagged in them, everyone was enjoying it!”
But then…
“Yeah, some people who aren’t Liverpool fans back in Ireland have been posting about it this week and they’re not too happy about it.
“We did billboards for Liverpool fans to get excited about and it isn’t our intention to annoy anyone. But equally it is quite nice to remind everyone that Liverpool are Premier League champions.”
So the message reads: ‘Dublin. You’re now the closest capital to the Premier League champions.’
So we asked The Anfield Wrap to respond to some of the backlash.
Tweet: ‘It was also true when City were champions but I wouldn’t expect Liverpool fans to have a grip on reality’
“That’s someone shouting at a bird app on Twitter about an advert that’s not for them!
“What my advice to other fans would be just don’t let it annoy you too much.”
Tweet: ‘A podcast being able to shell out a few bob for billboard space is good but this ad is only going to appeal to Liverpool supporters’
“Liverpool FC podcast in Liverpool only appeals to Liverpool supporters.
“I mean, yeah. He’s right. He’s absolutely right!”
You can listen to the full interview here.
