Edison Media has partnered with Manchester City and PUMA on a mysterious citywide fan engagement campaign designed to launch the club’s new kit through a staged series of physical activations across Manchester.
Rather than relying on a traditional social media reveal, the campaign began with a mysterious phone number appearing across the city, encouraging supporters to call and hear pre-recorded messages from first-team players including Jérémy Doku, Rico Lewis and Mateo Kovačić.
More than 7,000 people called the number within the first 24 hours.
Working directly with Manchester City’s creative agency, Laced Creative, fast-growing Edison Media planned and delivered the official launch activity across the city centre, turning the kit launch into what it described as a “staged fan journey” rather than a single online moment.
The first phase of the campaign featured guerrilla flyposting across Manchester city centre, with the phone number acting as the central hook. Fans who called the number were rewarded with recorded player messages teasing the launch date.
Oversized Post-it note-style installations then appeared across the city in the second phase, revealing the date of the launch while continuing the clue-led approach.
The final activation went live today on Tib Street in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, where the new Manchester City shirt has been placed inside a glass display box for supporters to discover, photograph and share online.
The shirt has been signed by the first-team squad and manager Pep Guardiola, with one supporter set to win it by sharing a picture online.
Throughout the campaign, Edison Media managed 19 guerrilla sites across Manchester city centre to support both the flyposting and Post-it note phases.
The activity also extended into regional media through a full front and back page takeover of the Manchester Evening News alongside a digital takeover of its online edition.
Local creator and Manchester City supporter Tays also produced social content tied to the first phase of the campaign.
Nicola Orrell, Managing Director at Edison Media, said: “As a lifelong City fan, I also knew we had to treat it properly. A kit launch is commercial, but it is also personal. People attach seasons, players, memories and routines to shirts. It matters more than a product launch.
“Our role with Laced Creative was to help bring the idea into the city in a way that felt natural. The phone number gave fans a reason to act. The player messages made that action worthwhile. The Post-it notes kept the story moving. The shirt on Tib Street gave people something physical to find and share.
“That is when the media works at its best. It does not just tell people something is happening. It gives them a reason to get involved.”
The campaign reflects a broader trend in sports marketing towards experiential and participation-led activity, with brands increasingly looking to create fan behaviours rather than simply drive reach.
Edison Media said the campaign was designed around how football supporters naturally interact with launches and rumours — from sharing screenshots and clues in group chats to spotting activations around the city on match week.
The Manchester City campaign adds to Edison Media’s growing portfolio of sports and retail work, with the agency recently delivering campaigns for brands including JD Sports, Nike, Adidas and Under Armour.