Brand vs Logo - it's as easy as a Name Tag

Brand vs Logo

Have seen recent debate online about how clubs need to change their logo, clubs need to rebrand - and often the two get confused....  Less and less I feel - as folk start to be aware of the power of your brand (vs the small part that your logo plays in that) - but whilst the ideas are fresh in my mind - I thought I would look at the brand vs logo discussion one final time - before everyone has got it - and we need never look again....

Re-branding is NOT changing your logo - though a new logo is probably going to come about when you do re-brand - if only to give the marketeers something to show to folk and say “look, we did that, aren’t we clever”.....

Who's up for the Cup

All three of the teams newly promoted to the Premier League fell at the first hurdle when they entered the Carling Cup last weekend.... It looked like all three teams fielded weakened teams - so that they could preserve their strength (or at least their better players) for the more important fight in the #EPL.

Seemingly all three of them were happy to lose the game, and drop out of the Cup - as it meant they would not have to deal with similar issues in the future.  Certainly the reactions of all the managers to defeat was one of happiness......

The fact that a Cup run will give you extra income, help build confidence, give you more opportunities to trial different tactics, team selections, show the fans that you want to win it all - etc - these were ignored for the sake of keeping out of the bottom three in the Premiership (the standard objective for the newly promoted teams).

Owners set the tone...

Tony Fernandes (the flamboyant owner of Air Asia) has recently bought Queens Park Rangers Football Club - and already he is making huge strides in building the club as HE wants to see it...  The changes he has made already have really excited their supporter base and given them hope that this will be the start of something to remember....  A wealthy owner with big plans.......  sounds good eh???

Given that their former ownership structure saw some of the world’s wealthiest men lining up for a chunk of the club - maybe QPR fans should hold off on their excitement.  Their expectations on news of the previous ownership would surely have been excitement - but ended in increased ticket prices and under investment in the team...

Football can save the world....

How Football can save the World...... (A look into the Future Part II)

The thing I love about working in sports is feeling like you can (and even better that you are) making a difference.  It’s not working as a Doctor in deepest Africa, it’s not working as a Fireman (and many other un-named jobs) - but sport has an impact - and it’s great knowing you are part of that.

Be it educating your community on healthy lifestyle, education, drug and alcohol (using the Club’s players and staff as role models).  Be it seeing the passion and excitement generated when you make good decisions or (the team) make a good pass / win a great game.

Sport matters to people - it really matters - and as such - sport - and the people who work in it - have a real duty to treat that relationship with respect.  Culture is one of the key drivers to human evolution - and sport has a huge role to play in how our culture progresses.

The easy recipe for a great team...

What makes a good team......??

With England’s cricket team sitting (for the first time since official records began) at the top of the world rankings, there has been lots of chat about what has taken them to the top.  The coach and the captain are receiving most of the plaudits - and well deserved no doubt.

I have minimal direct knowledge of the internal workings of the ECB but I wanted to give my own thoughts on what are the key components that go into making up a great team.

There are of course huge complexities in running any organization, but for me - if you get three basics right - you are a long way along the road to success. Life in sports is different to outside sports - there is only ever going to be one Ultimate winner (on an annual basis) - but my guess is these principles will work pretty much anywhere.....

Sports Communication is Changing - CRM is dead???

For a while now, CRM has been a hot topic (or certainly a hot three letters) with sports clubs/bodies (the good ones anyway) clamoring to drive their businesses with the best available CRM computerized systems.

Communication with your customers is a key part of building your brand/club - so to have a system that makes this easier / more robust, and improves the results (and use of results) is certainly a good idea....

The thing with CRM though is that the buzzword has been around for a few years now, but the practice has always been around - just under a different guise.

The Art of Promotion

Before we start - just need to clarify that in today's job-tough world - I am talking about the "promotion" of an audience to a sporting event rather than pointing out to you the quick route to hike in pay or work status....  Though if you listen/read/observe carefully - the two may intertwine as the sermon draws to a close (win/win).  Anyway - as they say in hospitals - Onward.....

..... Building an audience (for anything but let’s concentrate on sports - that’s why we are all here) is a complex and many layered thing....  You can count on the fingers of about a million hands the number of different factors that will influence your decision making.

So to be a successful ‘audience driver’ requires a skill set that can often set your good staff apart.  Be it marketing, sales, CRM expert, promoter, media manager, web guy or other - if you find someone who can ‘grow’ your business in these areas (or even better a ‘jewel’ who can ‘do it all’) - then grab them, wrap them in a ‘cotton wool branded club jacket and let them ‘do their thang’......

Life in the Sports Marketing Playground

A guide to your Marketing methodology - playground style.....

Having spent the early formative years of my life at some of the world’s most exciting playgrounds, and some of the later years working in some of the globe’s most interesting sporting environments - I feel perfectly well placed to look at how the two intertwine......

There are many approaches that you can take when managing your sports marketing efforts and resources - but with a quick look at the various options available in the playground - life becomes a whole lot easier.....

For childish advice - read on.....