SportsBiz Spotlight is back! We sat down and spoke to Leigh Moore all about Creative Players…
Introduction to Creative Players
We’re a small sports marketing agency (I hate the word agency… but more on that later) that works with some of sport’s biggest brands, broadcasters and rights holders.
Our clients include adidas, Sky Sports, TAG Heuer, European Tour, Sky & TaylorMade. It’s a client list that I smile at every time I write it out.
I decided to set up Creative Players in 2016, when I saw how in-house marketing/creative teams would become overstretched but big agencies were too slow, too expensive, and often too stubborn to step in and support. So, I wanted to build a business that could support clients in a nimbler way. That could take on most challenges and find solutions, that would be a business that people enjoyed working with and for.
I didn’t want us to be pigeonholed by ‘what’ we did, but instead be known for ‘how’ we do things, and that’s something I’m obsessed about. I say it all the time, but ‘how’ we think and act as a business is our number one USP.
It’s why I struggle with the term ‘agency’ or really with any kind of label at all, most of those terms bring up all the thoughts and expectations of the type of business I don’t want to be. I want us to be Creative Players, great thinkers and good to work with.
There’s no shortage of people out there for our clients to work with and ‘what’ we do isn’t unique but ‘how’ we do it can be and is.
I get asked about the name Creative Players all the time and what the inspiration was behind it… For me in any sport ‘creative players’ are the ones that make things happen. They are the ones that bring others into the game and link things together. They see shots, passes that other don’t. They do things that put a smile on your face and make you want to come back next week. I wanted a business that embodied that essence of being a ‘creative player’, someone you want on your team, and you can rely on to deliver something special when you need it most.
What’s your main purpose?
First and foremost, I believe Creative Players is about great thinking. That great thinking allows us to support our clients in a much broader way than many traditional businesses in our industry.
If our clients know we think about things in a way that offers them a different point of view or will lead them to consider something they hadn’t before, then they are inclined to pick up the phone to us on a wider variety of issues and challenges.
As a result, the work we get involved in varies incredibly even with the same client. We can be shooting a campaign video one day and working on a strategic business review the next. It’s work that constantly keeps us thinking and that’s the work I love.
If failure wasn’t a possibility, what would be your biggest ambition?
My ambition is to ensure that no matter how big we grow as a business, that we remain a business that people enjoy working with and for. It’s a simple trait but one often lost in business, be a good person. I want to ensure we never lose that as a business.
What’s your USP?
How we think and act as a business. What we do is excellent, how we do it is exceptional.
How many people work at Creative Players and in what capacity?
We’re in an exciting period of growth having just opened up offices in Liverpool’s Royal Albert Docks. We’ve just brought in Adam Hulme from Liverpool, which I’m incredibly excited about, and are about to advertise for another full-time editor, as well as adding to our contract roles for Design, social media and Shooting editors. I’m looking to find young talent in the Liverpool/Manchester area that match our outlook as business and want to be part of our journey too.
Do you have any clients? If so, who are your usual clients?
Our clients include adidas, Sky Sports, TAG Heuer, At The Races, The European Tour, Pepsi, Sky, White Rose Sports Management, & TaylorMade. We work with all of these clients on a regular basis.
How to connect with Creative Players…
Follow us on social @wearethecp & @wearecpgolf, likewise feel free to DM me directly if you ever want to know more about what we do @leigh_moore. And if you’re ever in Liverpool, drop by the office for a coffee.
Thanks to Leigh from Creative Players for speaking to us about what they’re getting up to!
Creative Players are recruiting for a Social Media Manager, Motion Graphics Editor and Account Executive. If you’re interested, please email hello@creativeplayers.co.uk
If you would like to feature your sports based business or know of an organisation you would like to see feature, get in touch.
