Task 2 — Understanding The Client & Context

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When working on a brief as broad as this one, it’s vital to establish as much research into your clientele as quickly as possible. This was no different when it came to working alongside Classic Football Shirts (C. F. Shirts, 2026).

Board showing my clients values, purpose and audience – created in Canva (Canva, 2026)

One of the first things I wanted to establish when researching my client (outside of what they want) was what they stand for as an organization. When it came to addressing the creator’s values, I found a large portion of their history scattered through both their socials and website. With nearly twenty years in the industry, spanning all the way back to a side hustle at university, it was clear to me that core values of their company stem form a pure passion and love for preserving football history. This became even more solidified when paired with the purpose they’ve served over the years. With one of the largest collections of vintage football kits, not only for sale but exhibition, Classic Football Shirts (C. F. Shirts, 2026) have certainly established themselves as a leader in their industry. With customers of all genders, spanning internationally, alongside dozens of professional footballers, the brand focuses on being accessible and inclusive of everyone, allowing generation after generation to invest in a shared passion. Ultimately excelling past being mere businessmen, into actual modern historians.

Board demonstrating my clients existing language and brand positioning – created in Canva (Canva, 2026)

With their values established, it made addressing my clients existing language all the more easier. Thanks to a large peruse of their social media accounts, I quickly realised that Classic Football Shirts (C. F. Shirts, 2026) instils authenticity and passion into every platform and project they own. Using an array of bold and vibrant imagery, paired with a very anti-corporate styling to their content, the company uses narrative as their main tool for marketing. By focusing on the stories of their fan, history from player, or even their own twenty-year journey, CFS (C. F. Shirts, 2026) is able to showcase high quality merchandise that still resonate with a working-class demographic. This becomes even more apparent when researching their social positioning. Standing at over a million followers on their social media accounts, it’s clear that nostalgia really hits home.

Board comparing two of my clients biggest competitors – created in Canva (Canva, 2026)

When comparing CFS’s (C. F. Shirts, 2026) social media standing against some of their leading competitor, it became clear just how successful they’ve become. From a local perspective, one of the largest sportwear providers in the UK has to be Sports Direct (Sports Direct, 2026), with over five hundred stores nationally. However, despite their wider range of products, coming in a much more reduced price, Sports Directs (Sports Direct, 2026) social following pales in comparison to CFS (C. F. Shirts, 2026), with only a quarter of their fan base. Begging the questions of is it simply quality over quantity or are both their audiences simply more inclined to indulge in more authentic products. This becomes an even more justifiable explanation when compared to the brands such as Le Coq Sportif (L. C. Sportif, 2026). With an even longer-established brand, Le Coq (L. C. Sportif, 2026) comes in even lower than Sports Direct (Sports Direct, 2026) in the social ranking, due in large to the pretentious nature of their marketing. Ultimately proving that all audiences want it, is to feel connected with.

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