The Premier League, the pinnacle of English football, has embarked on a groundbreaking technology partnership with Adobe. This collaboration aims to revolutionize fan engagement by allowing supporters to use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to create custom content featuring official assets.
Adobe is now the 'official digital fan experience' partner for the Premier League. As part of this partnership, Adobe will integrate its Express creativity suite and Firefly generative AI platform into the league's official website and mobile app.
Fans can leverage these tools to create images and videos focusing on their favourite clubs, players, and Fantasy Premier League teams. They can design custom kits and badges using natural language prompts and pre-made templates provided by Firefly.
Ensuring commercial safety
Firefly has been trained exclusively on officially licensed content, public domain material, and Adobe stock materials. This ensures that it doesn't infringe copyright laws making it commercially safe for fans to use in creating their unique content.
The integration of these AI capabilities is expected to generate activity on social media platforms while deepening engagement with first-party channels. The league has revamped its website and app ahead of the new season thanks to a recently-agreed technology partnership with Microsoft.
Will Brass, Chief Commercial Officer at the Premier League, said:
“The Premier League is followed by millions of fans around the world – all of whom have very different reasons for doing so. Adobe is a global leader in digital experiences and creativity, and this exciting partnership provides us with the tools to better understand and deliver what our fans need and want digitally, ensuring we can provide the best of the Premier League directly to them. Our partnership aims to enrich the fan experience and providing them with new creative ways to express their passion for the league.”
In addition to enhancing fan experiences, internal teams at the Premier League will also utilize Adobe's technology suite for campaigns and other public-facing activities.
Leveraging data-driven insights
As part of this deal, the league will gain access to Adobe’s suite of customer relationship management (CRM) tools which are designed around data-driven insights. These insights will be used in tailoring notifications based on user behaviour preferences as well as location-specific messaging strategies.
For instance, a Newcastle-based fan might receive different communications compared to an Australian supporter due largely in part because they have different viewing experiences. Similarly, a spectator in the stadium might receive a push notification while a viewer at home could be sent an email reminder about their fantasy team.
This partnership builds on Adobe's existing relationship with The Football Association (FA). Besides being the title sponsor for the Women’s FA Cup, Adobe also provides women’s soccer clubs at all levels with its technology to create engaging content and attract sponsors.
