Chris Heck - President of Business Operations

[pablo_picasso]

He also said that because the team were so poor, they didn't really have star players or on court success they could use to get people excited about the team, so they had to turn to past stars and history to bring people in while they built up the brand.

We're in a much better situation, we have players we can get excited about that other teams would want, and we're legitimately in the top 10 of clubs in the country and have a genuine chance of winning something in the next couple of seasons.

I'm sure he will be using that rather than relying too heavily on the past. I mean, if you were trying to talk someone into being a Villa fan, would you talk about what we did in the 80s or would you focus on how fantastic the next season or two could be?

Yes, in all aspects we are in a stronger position.

Stronger on the field, stronger off it, stronger starting point elements that can be used for the branding, etc, etc.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

I thought we had established specific colour pallets for our claret and blue a while back.  Did this fall by the wayside?

I would have thought by now it was well established that we don't have a Brand Book.

Heck is obviously a very clever fella. The only mistake I see (and he admits to a few) is taking hold of the Twitter account. I trust he won't be doing it here. Other than that I think he'll be a brilliant appointment, it will be a massive challenge for him but he won't be doing it alone. Listening to how he builds and motivates a team yet knows when to leave certain things alone is extremely encouraging.

[OCD]

It didn't sound like the Twitter account was his idea, more like the club wanted him to have it. He mentioned he was reluctant and worried about saying the wrong thing.

[Dogtanian]

Yeah, he's only put two things on his account since he joined us - a retweet of the official announcement and a retweet of the top 25 most innovative sports teams...

https://twitter.com/chrisheck76/status/1529449705461190656?s=20

I guess he's setting a challenge!

Ah no, that was 2022 and I don't know what year we are currently in! 

[paul_e]

It didn't sound like the Twitter account was his idea, more like the club wanted him to have it. He mentioned he was reluctant and worried about saying the wrong thing.

I suspect that would count double when he's in a new country, new sport, new city and new club, that feels like a recipe for disaster if the social media is pushed onto him.

[exigo]

I thought we had established specific colour pallets for our claret and blue a while back.  Did this fall by the wayside?

We did. I had those brand guidelines. Castore's last two kits show that nobody seems capable of following pretty straightforward colour breakdowns.

[Hookeysmith]

I enjoyed the presentation and found it interesting and informative.

Is he to be based here in the UK?

I know he is president of world wide operations but presumably AVFC UK is the top priority?

In all Management change overs the first change is always important and sets the tone and pace for what is to come - if having the balls to say "stop" to a complete rebrand is anything to go by then i am quite pleased the club agreed with him.

[ChicagoLion]

I hope he never refers to us as a franchise or a brand.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

It didn't sound like the Twitter account was his idea, more like the club wanted him to have it. He mentioned he was reluctant and worried about saying the wrong thing.

Either way, his enthusiasm got the better of him with the 'New Philadelphia' term; a schoolboy error. I understand where he was coming from but he's an outsider and not all will feel part of the 'new'.

[Nii Lamptey]

First and foremost, if he can fix the 'waiting 25 minutes to get served during a 15 minute HT break' in time for the Everton game, he has my approval.

Longer term, pot Castore for one of the better kit manufacturers (along with a decent sponsor), and let us know WTF is going on with the badge and stadium improvements.

[Nelly]

He did mention quality as being one of the key things he wanted to provide in the linked video, that made me think of the issues that often get mentioned on here. When he spoke about trying to start a list of all the things that needed doing at Philedelphia, before giving up and just battling things as they arose, I did wonder if he'd have a similar experience at Villa - how much of that old cornershop mentality persists at the club. It's a bit of a juxtaposition for me - I want the club to keep it's flavour, but I also want it to be the best. Maybe the two aren't mutual; just recently we've seen a price hike for tickets and an attempt to gentrify the Holte End. I'm unsure if that is what it takes for Villa to be successful or if there other ways to raise revenue.

[ChicagoLion]

I think it’s a muddle through attitude and as long as no one makes too much fuss then let’s focus on hanging out with Royalty and grand gestures.
These problems would have been solved or not occurred with a Top CEO.

[pauliewalnuts]

It is well worth watching that video.

It’s hard to watch it and think anything other than he killed the new badge.

He’s extremely impressive but I hope he understands both the big picture and the nuances that make English football very different from American sports

[Dante Lavelli]

It is well worth watching that video.

It’s hard to watch it and think anything other than he killed the new badge.

He’s extremely impressive but I hope he understands both the big picture and the nuances that make English football very different from American sports

I agree.  Based on the video, a big part of his playbook is the branding of the club and the badge.  You’d hope that the colours decision is off the table so removing the badge and the branding that goes with that too would have massively restricted what he could do. 

[Scott Nielsen]

He’s extremely impressive but I hope he understands both the big picture and the nuances that make English football very different from American sports

I find it comforting rather than impressive as I think a good stage show is the bare minimum from someone in his position.

What matters is the actual commercial outcome. And that certainly is impressive over his six years there.