Manchester agency Ear to the Ground has led the creative on a new Aston Villa and Xapo Bank campaign that turns supporters’ messages of belief into a permanent physical feature inside Villa Park.
The work celebrates themes of long-term thinking and ambition shared by both the club and the digital bank. For the first time in Aston Villa’s history, fans’ personal words of belief have been embroidered into the official dugout headrests, sitting directly behind the players throughout the 2025/26 season.
The activation forms the centrepiece of a wider campaign developed by Ear to the Ground using its Fan Intelligence model, which taps into insights from more than 12,000 culturally connected fans worldwide.
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Alongside the dugout installation, selected messages will appear on Villa Park’s giant screen, across matchday programmes, and on Aston Villa and Xapo Bank’s digital channels. The embroidered beliefs will be revealed publicly during the club’s Premier League fixture against Arsenal on 6 December.
A short-form hero film — also created by Ear to the Ground — captures club captain John McGinn unveiling the latest headrest quotes to Villa fans in a surprise emotional moment. The content was released across Xapo Bank’s social channels in collaboration with Aston Villa’s owned media.
Hae-Seon Song, VP of Marketing at Xapo Bank, said: “At Xapo Bank, we believe lasting value is built on conviction, patience and trust – principles that mirror Aston Villa’s incredible recent resurgence. Working with Ear to the Ground, we’ve brought that shared philosophy to life through this campaign, turning fan passion into something real and enduring. It’s a celebration of what connects us all – belief in the long term.”
Ear to the Ground CEO Richard Adelsberg added: “This campaign brings Xapo Bank’s long-term philosophy to life in a way only football can – through belief, loyalty and emotion. Using our Fan to Consumer™ methodology, we uncovered what belief truly means to Aston Villa supporters and turned that insight into something tangible. By placing fans’ words physically behind the team, we’ve shown that the same belief that wins on the pitch can also build value off it.”
The campaign cements Ear to the Ground’s growing reputation for fan-led creative work with major sporting organisations, adding another high-profile Premier League partnership to its Manchester-based team’s portfolio.
