Wisła Kraków FC

The context

After being relegated from Poland's top football division, the historic club Wisła Kraków faced a financial crisis. Filling the stadium was no longer just important for morale; it had become an existential necessity for the club's survival. In a world where fan engagement is key, the club needed a truly innovative way to strengthen its bond with supporters and give them a powerful new reason to come back to the stadium in huge numbers.

The challenge

The challenge was to transform fan engagement from a passive experience into an active, personalised one that could directly drive attendance and revenue. VML and Wisła Kraków needed to find a way to make each fan feel that their individual presence mattered. This meant moving beyond traditional marketing to create a deeper, data driven connection that would reignite passion and, most importantly, fill the stands.

“We analysed the profiles of nearly a quarter of a million fans and their presence at home matches. This demonstrates how deeply data can be explored today. Our fans are unique, and this type of activity allows us to better understand them, but also objectively showcases our technological capabilities.”

Jarosław Królewski, CEO, Wisła Kraków FC

The approach

VML, part of WPP, tapped into a universal football superstition: the belief that a loyal fan's presence in the stadium can bring the team luck. The strategy was to take this intangible, emotional feeling and make it real, measurable and personal. Using attendance data the club was legally required to collect, they cross referenced every fan's presence with over 200 in game metrics. This allowed them to create the "Lucky Fan Index," a unique, AI powered statistic that calculated how much luck each individual fan brought to the team.

“Sport is primarily entertainment. Thanks to the Lucky Fan Index, we have captured its previously unquantifiable dimension, making spectators real participants in their team's game.”

Piotr Osiński, Chief Creative Officer, VML Poland

The work

The Lucky Fan Index analysed over 220,000 fan profiles against 63 home matches. Each fan received their own personal "luck" score via a web application. If they attended a match with a last minute winning goal, their index went up. If they were present for a string of missed opportunities, it went down. This data was then activated commercially. The luckiest fans were rewarded with VIP box upgrades, while the unluckiest received discounts on "luckier" merchandise, turning a simple compliance database into a dynamic commercial platform.

The impact

The Lucky Fan Index turned a universal superstition into a stunning business success. By giving fans a personal, quantifiable stake in the team's luck, the club saw its average attendance increase by a massive 42%. This surge made its attendance the highest in the entire league. The initiative transformed the club's relationship with its supporters, boosted revenue, and proved that a creative use of data can fill a stadium and change a club's fortunes.

“Wisła's Lucky Fan Index is such a brilliant idea that I myself regret not having implemented it. Big applause!”

Dawid Prokopowicz, responsible for sports at Google, extensively analysed the Lucky Fan Index project, clearly indicating its strengths and directly calling it a brilliant product.