Goal announces major rebrand and development in prep for Brazil 2014 via Perform and Elmwood

Goal.com will today re-launch to reflect the exciting new Goal global brand. Goal, the world’s largest digital football destination, has undergone this brand redevelopment in preparation for the FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014.

The re-launch marks the latest step in the evolution of Goal since it was acquired by digital sports media group Perform in February 2011 and launched in Australia in May 2012.

Goal.com, available online and across every major mobile platform device, has seen traffic grow to reach over 34 million football fans globally every month and 475,000 locally in Australia.

The redevelopment follows months of research around brand perception and positioning, both as a brand and as a source for football content. The new Goal.com includes a simpler look, new headers, navigation and fresh colour scheme as well as responsive design – optimised for tablet usage. The large suite of Goal mobile apps and social media channels have also benefitted from the rebrand.

In the coming months Goal will launch a number of exciting additional features including ultra-fast live scores, match visualisation, fantasy league and prediction games as well as develop applications for connected TVs and the Windows 8 mobile platform.

To complement the rebrand rollout, Goal’s 500-strong editorial team, based right across the globe, have been tasked with bringing the new brand’s values and personality to life. They will develop Goal’s growing reputation for journalistic authority and credibility, producing insightful editorial content that football fans want to engage with, whilst continually reflecting the energy and passion of the game.

With the rebrand in place, Goal is already planning its approach to the FIFA World Cup in Brazil 2014. The site plans to complement its 36 local editions with dedicated coverage for every nation competing at the World Cup Finals. Goal will have a significant presence on the ground in Brazil around the tournament venues and team bases ensuring fans can stay up to date with all the developments before, during and after the tournament.

Says James Rushton, managing director, Perform in Australia: “This is a really exciting development in the evolution of Goal, consolidating our position as the leading global and Australian digital football media brand. We know that fans crave credible, relevant and topical content and our objective is to be the definitive news source for football fans on global football with dedicated coverage of all the Hyundai A League and Socceroos action in Australia and abroad. We are also very confident the fans are going to love the new features and enhancements we have planned in the run-up to the World Cup.

“Goal is unique in its ability to target Australian fans across every platform. We know engagement is key for our users, but it is also crucial for our brand partners who want to be both associated with great content and also be part of the fan conversation – with over 5 million social media followers Goal can deliver this.”

Brand design consultancy Elmwood conducted the in-depth re-positioning exercise, developing the new Goal identity and design style. The award-winning agency also developed a vibrant brand book and emotive brand movie to communicate the new Goal brand vision and values.