William Hill has launched its first dedicated football podcast series ‘STRIPPED’, which aims to engage its brand with a new generation of football audiences. 

STRIPPED has been produced by London creative media agency Wavemaker  in collaboration with Platform Media.

The podcast series is hosted by football content creator Ferdinand ‘Specs’ Gonzalez and YouTube personality David ‘VUJ’ Vujanic.

In a statement, William Hill noted: “STRIPPED will provide a platform for William Hill to engage with, and capture the attention of football fans everywhere. 

“In particular, the new generation of fans who are not only interested in the aesthetics of the game but are immersed in the culture surrounding it – from fashion and music to gaming and even the food (not just the half-time pies).”

In producing STRIPPED, Wavemaker outlined that it wanted a concept that moves the football podcast away from standard narratives of weekend fixtures and results. Instead it  will focus on “producing fresh, shareable and ‘not to be missed’ content that will have viewers and listeners coming back for more”.

Saj Nazir, Head of Content at Wavemaker explained: “From strategy to planning, and ideas generation to project management, the Wavemaker content team has worked in true partnership with William Hill and Platform Media to develop a match-winning podcast fit for football.

“Through the creation of insatiable content that goes beyond the game itself, the STRIPPED podcast will embed William Hill into the wider culture and world surrounding the beautiful game. Thus, helping the brand to connect with its target audience – the football fan community – and become a vital part of their weekly ‘football fix’ routine. STRIPPED will quickly become the Desert Island Discs for football.”

Each week, the podcast will feature celebrity guests detailing their love of football culture and aesthetics, STRIPPED down by Specs’ Gonzalez and VUJ.

It will be distributed across all William Hill social media channels, with Episode 1 due to launch on 4 August on all major audio platforms and YouTube.

Liam Mckee, Director of Media, Sponsorship & UK Creative at William Hill, commented: “We are under no illusion that we have to work hard to be known as a credible brand for football fans. We needed a campaign that not only captured their attention but proves to football fans, old and new – that we have a genuine passion for the beautiful game and the culture surrounding it.

“This was not an easy task given that a traditional approach would not work for this particular audience. Our STRIPPED podcast was the ideal solution; it gives us the ability to use the trusted relationships of both hosts and talent to connect with some of the most diehard fans in the sport. The idea is truly ‘one in the back of the net’ for the William Hill, Wavemaker and Platform Media teams.”