Branding and Image of Super League

[Cheshire Setter]

44 minutes ago, Mr Plow said:

I prefer the old SL logo as it actually says Rugby on it

Agreed.   It’s amost like RU finally got their wish and they can monopolise the term Rugby.

[NotToday]

6 hours ago, Rupert Prince said:

On thing is for sure, the RU would run a mile as far as they can to avoid the phrase "league".  They shout long and hard to trumpet the word "Rugby".

This is a hard and inescapable fact and needs to be acknowledged. To the outside world we are an adjunct, at least everywhere except one continent.

It is of course true and fair to point out that the "R" in the NRL, stands for Rugby.  However the important thing to remember is that as far as the Aussies are concerned the important word is the one in front of NRL,  the word and emphasis is, "the".    Even if my notion were to be plausible and credible, the Aussies would not join in anyway.  For the Aussies they already have "the" brand.

 

MAJOR LEAGUE RUGBY. 

World Rugby has been putting its chips in this. They hope to make it the jewel on their crown.

Edit: There's also talks of a "world league". You can google it.

[NotToday]

4 hours ago, The Future is League said:

Its never been our strong point, buts that's no excuses

Better Still what about the "European Rugby League Championship" which might have more appeal to potential sponsors.

 

That already exists. It's the continental cup.

And it doesn't sound hip for a league competition. Too long, too plain.

[NotToday]

4 hours ago, Chamey said:

Super League is one of the main remaining recognisable brands that League has. Although general awareness of the intricacies of RL is low, you mention Super League to somebody [outside the heartlands (oth)] and they'd be aware that it's Rugby League, due to it's longstanding name, and the PR it got in the early years.

If you rebrand it Super Rugby League, firstly it's a mouthful to say, and would often get shortened to Super Rugby (which would run into problems with the BUCS compression) and it'd probably be quite a few years before awareness of it oth overtook Super Rugby Union.

Rugby League Premiership is a very definite step back.

However I agree that more generally more differentiation is needed.

 

 

Did anyone suggest that? It's just been Super League Rugby and Rugby Super League.

It keeps the "Super League" branding and just adds rugby to the end to make it more descriptive yet it's not a mouthful as one you hinted at.

[Man of Kent]

Promising thread that veers off into tokenism.

Still thinks it’s way too early to start chipping away at Elstone because it’s still very early days, he’s not got his team in place and I suspect there are major changes ahead next season and beyond.

[Chamey]

25 minutes ago, NotToday said:

MAJOR LEAGUE RUGBY. 

World Rugby has been putting its chips in this. They hope to make it the jewel on their crown.

Edit: There's also talks of a "world league". You can google it.

It's an entirely private league, no WR involvement, the closest it gets is the fact that it's sanctioned by USAR, and is named following North American convention.

Lets look at the various three letter competitions (all competitions use a three letter identifier) in the US:

NFL, NHL: NXL

NBA: NXA

MLB, MLS: MLX

Two of them have 'league' in their title. They couldn't use NRL, for obvious reasons, they couldn't use NRA for similar, it left MLR as the only option. 

 Of all the things to moan about, moaning about RU using the league descriptor for competitions in a league format is a very odd one.

And yes, it's a world league, because it consists of national teams playing in a league format, it won't actually be called that.

42 minutes ago, Cheshire Setter said:

Agreed.   It’s amost like RU finally got their wish and they can monopolise the term Rugby.

The RLIF didn't even contest WR registering their ownership of .rugby, which was mind-blowing incompetence.

[NotToday]

Just now, Chamey said:

It's an entirely private league, no WR involvement, the closest it gets is the fact that it's sanctioned by USAR, and is named following North American convention.

Lets look at the various three letter competitions (all competitions use a three letter identifier) in the US:

NFL, NHL: NXL

NBA: NXA

MLB, MLS: MLX

Two of them have 'league' in their title. They couldn't use NRL, for obvious reasons, they couldn't use NRA for similar, it left MLR as the only option. 

 Of all the things to moan about, moaning about RU using the league descriptor for competitions in a league format is a very odd one.

And yes, it's a world league, because it consists of national teams playing in a league format, it won't actually be called that.

The RLIF didn't even contest WR registering their ownership of .rugby, which was mind-blowing incompetence.

 

 

Doesn't matter who it's owned by. It's  a Rugby Union competition called Major League Rugby. World Rugby is putting their hopes in this to become a major sporting contest in the US and worldwide, on par with the MLS.

 

You don't need to explain that basic naming convention to me.

I know that's why they went with MLR. It's also why it's becoming successful, and PRO Rugby wasn't. Because US investors associate it with the successoff MLS, and decades ago they associated MLS with MLB.

The point is RU and WR aren't shying away from the word "League" as he suggested, on the contrary they're usurping it more and more. You might want to take context before saying I'm moaning about them using 'league' when I was actually responding to someone saying 'they want nothing to do with it.'

[Henson Park Old Firm]

Name it,  Rugby Premier League or the RPL for short

[Padge]

10 hours ago, NotToday said:

I like this idea too.

Super League Rugby is also good, what do you think? It's weird that RU took "Major League Rugby" in the US, but this one-ups them and capitalizes on anyone ever attempting to search either "Super League" or "League Rugby"

 

That's for hardcore fans who follow. Doesn't bring in newer audiences like youtube does, including those outside England.

Do you mean something like this?

 

[NotToday]

41 minutes ago, Padge said:

Do you mean something like this?

 

That's still "Super Rugby League".... too close to Super Rugby.

I'm suggesting "Super League Rugby". Need to change up to something yellow and red, instead of blue.

[Padge]

6 minutes ago, NotToday said:

 

That's still "Super Rugby League".... too close to Super Rugby.

I'm suggesting "Super League Rugby". Need to change up to something yellow and red, instead of blue.

What I posted is the official title of the competition since day 1

[NotToday]

Just now, Padge said:

What I posted is the official title of the competition since day 1

 

I know.... 

[Padge]

So the name is ours

[Chrispmartha]

Personally I think the name of the competition is pretty well known and should stay as it is, changing it now would be coonter productive. The sport is still called Rugby League just like football is still football but the main competition is called the Premier League.

Now I think there’s a major branding piece to be done (anyone from Super League PM me, my agency would be happy to help ) 

 

 

[Hemel Stag]

12 hours ago, Bring back GB said:

I think the "Super League" brand needs dropping now. It sounds cheap and gimmicky.

Should be rebranded as the Rugby League Premiership.

It gets confusing when the BBC start referring Super League and it turns out to be the Women's Soccer !

Using Premiership would be confusing for people already used to Rugby Union Premiership, never mind the soccer premiership.

Most of the people I know don't have a clue what the difference is between RU & RL, so by all means re-brand Super League but whatever it is has to be distinctive, unambiguous and easy to use.

[EastLondonMike]

Super league as a name is strong. It's highly recognisable and associated with Rugby League. To get rid would be next level foolish, especially for some bastardised term already associated with other sports. 

I actually had chats with both the RFL and Superleague about branding not too long ago, though nothing came of the proposals I put to them, sadly. With SL now separate from the RFL I wouldn't be surprised to see the current branding updated, maybe in 2020. 

Though get the impression they have other things of a greater priority at the moment. Namely what happens on the pitch.

[yipyee]

8 hours ago, The Future is League said:

Europe's a pretty big place and aren't the Catalan Dragons a French team?

Aren't the Catalan Dragons playing a game against Wigan Warriors in Barcelona, which is in Spain some time this year?

You say changing the name will attract sponsors...

It won't they look at how many people their sponsorship will be visible to..

Your next point is of course increasing invisibility but has nothing to do with the name of the comp.

In fact if you asked random people around the UK what was Super league I would be surprised if most didn't refer to RL (and maybe netball)

[yipyee]

On another note anyone else notice that the presenters and commentators are now referencing competition points and not league points? 

Got to be part of the rebrand/ new focus

[Rupert Prince]

3 hours ago, NotToday said:

 

 

Doesn't matter who it's owned by. It's  a Rugby Union competition called Major League Rugby. World Rugby is putting their hopes in this to become a major sporting contest in the US and worldwide, on par with the MLS.

 

You don't need to explain that basic naming convention to me.

I know that's why they went with MLR. It's also why it's becoming successful, and PRO Rugby wasn't. Because US investors associate it with the successoff MLS, and decades ago they associated MLS with MLB.

The point is RU and WR aren't shying away from the word "League" as he suggested, on the contrary they're usurping it more and more. You might want to take context before saying I'm moaning about them using 'league' when I was actually responding to someone saying 'they want nothing to do with it.'

In Britain they call it Premiership Rugby.  Its plain as a pikestaff, its right there in their web address. They also have the Heineken Cup, which is effectively a league (admittedly in pools), but they chose not to use the word.  In full it's the European Rugby Champions Cup.  As well as the above we have Pro14, and Top14 (plus the French 2nd tier is called Pro Rugby D2). Pro 14 web address is pro14rugby.   In Australia and the  southern hemisphere it's simply called Super Rugby.  What more can I say!?  Except to add in The National Rugby Championship...

Of course these competitions play in leagues,  because they are (!). Obviously! But they choke on the actual word itself... "league".  Or though to be fair it was the French who choked Rugby League to death.

The word Rugby is front and foremost for those in Union.  We have to qualify ourselves .  We shouldn't have to.  We should drop the word "rugby"... the game should brand itself as "League"... preferably "League Rules".   

America is an interloper in the sport of Union, they have no hang-ups. 

[NotToday]

16 minutes ago, Rupert Prince said:

In Britain they call it Premiership Rugby.  Its plain as a pikestaff, its right there in their web address. They also have the Heineken Cup, which is effectively a league (admittedly in pools), but they chose not to use the word.  In full it's the European Rugby Champions Cup.  As well as the above we have Pro14, and Top14 (plus the French 2nd tier is called Pro Rugby D2). Pro 14 web address is pro14rugby.   In Australia and the  southern hemisphere it's simply called Super Rugby.  What more can I say!?  Except to add in The National Rugby Championship...

Of course these competitions play in leagues,  because they are (!). Obviously! But they choke on the actual word itself... "league".  Or though to be fair it was the French who choked Rugby League to death.

The word Rugby is front and foremost for those in Union.  We have to qualify ourselves .  We shouldn't have to.  We should drop the word "rugby"... the game should brand itself as "League"... preferably "League Rules".   

America is an interloper in the sport of Union, they have no hang-ups. 

 

 

League is more unique than Rugby League to you? Do you not understand how confusing that is for non-English speakers? How generic that is? 

 

Try searching something about League or League Rules, you don't think you're going to get a bunch of random "league" stuff on search engines that has nothing to do with ours?

 

This is the dumbest idea I have heard in my life. This would be like someone suggesting that their sport, whichever it may be, be renamed to "Ball" or "Ball Rules". It is that non-descriptive. There are millions of leagues in this world, having a sport called just LEAGUE is absurd. 

[MZH]

1 hour ago, yipyee said:

On another note anyone else notice that the presenters and commentators are now referencing competition points and not league points? 

Got to be part of the rebrand/ new focus

That's not a new thing is it? Pretty sure Carney in particular has called them competition points for years.

[ghost crayfish]

I was staying in London a few years ago and had a hit with a local cricket club. All the guys were keen to talk sport with the new Aussie bloke, and I sheepishly said I am a rugby league man - expecting no one to know what I was on about, after all I'd read on here. But to my pleasant surprise, eyes lit up, and the fellas all went "oh, you mean like the super league? Yeah great, I watch a bit of that!" I also found it easy to see games in pubs, and coverage in the free metro papers... It was certainly much better known than I'd expected!

[yipyee]

7 hours ago, MZH said:

That's not a new thing is it? Pretty sure Carney in particular has called them competition points for years.

If they have I have only just noticed it 

[Rupert Prince]

8 hours ago, NotToday said:

League is more unique than Rugby League to you? Do you not understand how confusing that is for non-English speakers? How generic that is? 

Try searching something about League or League Rules, you don't think you're going to get a bunch of random "league" stuff on search engines that has nothing to do with ours?

This is the dumbest idea I have heard in my life. This would be like someone suggesting that their sport, whichever it may be, be renamed to "Ball" or "Ball Rules". It is that non-descriptive. There are millions of leagues in this world, having a sport called just LEAGUE is absurd. 

"League Rules" not "LEAGUE".  And some 20 years ago the great and the good decided "league" WAS a good idea, they thought it was super, indeed "Super League".

What is dumb is not engaging in the idea,  "rugby league " is different to "rugby union".  We broke away, we are not part of the union game now, we have evolved from it.  We are quite different.  They have collared the game and name "rugby"... They use the name rugby, rugby, rugby all the time.  We have to qualify ourselves... all the time.

This thread us about marketing.  Well... everybody needs to look at the fundamental issue, namely what is it that we are marketing, what is this game called?  What does it stand for?

By all means let everyone think and think deep and create the appropriate strategy... a better name. But we need some serious revision if we are going to improve.

[Dave T]

12 hours ago, Padge said:

What I posted is the official title of the competition since day 1

Are you 100% sure about that. For a long time the logo did not feature the word rugby in it, and as far as I am aware the word Rugby hasn't formed an official part of the name for most of SL's existence. 

Stones Bitter Super League was year 1, and now it is BetFred Super League. I can't see any official mention from SLE or the RFL of it being Rugby Super League.