Branding and Image of Super League

[Dave T]

Just now, Cheshire Setter said:

For a start, they don’t yet have anyone responsible for communications OR finance.   I suppose I’d rather them spend time getting the right people for the job, but they could at least make an effort with a few extra hours at the office on marketing and promotion!

The problem is that whilst we may make excuses as these things take time, life goes on and we have a season to get on with. Some of the issues raised in my OP are really simple. The mugshots are out of date, yet if you go on clubs individual sites they are all up to date. Why not share these images and get them uploaded?

[RP London]

Just now, Cheshire Setter said:

For a start, they don’t yet have anyone responsible for communications OR finance.   I suppose I’d rather them spend time getting the right people for the job, but they could at least make an effort with a few extra hours at the office on marketing and promotion!

i kept away from the other aspects and just mentioned branding as you would get an agency involved to do that anyway but timing wise it would never have been ready for the start of this season.

The rest needs sorting yes.

[Dave T]

Just now, scotchy1 said:

There are many things like this wrong with the game, they have been issues for a long time. The pointless squabble last year took months out of the game and realistically a lot has to change.

Hopefully by the start of next year we wont be seeing these issues at all

They have been bad previously, they have become worse. I accept that the re-drawing of lines may have had an impact on this kind of stuff, but shame on both SLE and the RFL for allowing that. A tiny bit of TLC and these things can be fixed, I'd have thought SLE would have been very keen on this kind of detail being professional.

[Rupert Prince]

45 minutes ago, NotToday said:

He retained the SL moniker though, just added a rugby to it. Doesn't hurt the existing brand, just expounds upon it if you ask me.

League Rules sounds even more generic tbh. I can't see anyone taking a sport that calls itself just "League" seriously. How does it differentiate from all the other "leagues" being thrown around.

 

Edit: People from other languages are going to be so confused. 

Hola amigo, what do you watch?

"I'm watching Liga"

Oh gotcha, Barcelona, Madrid or which one?

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.

[Dave T]

3 minutes ago, scotchy1 said:

There are many many things wrong with the game and how it communicates at the moment, theres not time to solve everything. Whilst they could have sorted this it would have probably seen something else missed and that is what we would be picking up on now.

I think we need to give Elstone and co a bit of time to get the behind the scenes things in place and make a real run at next year. Sure some quick wins and a bit of feelgood back in the game is necessary but the the big changes will be there next year

i'm ok with the principle of giving more time to make a full judgement, but I am surprised how some of these things have gone downhill. Even though it was bang average last year, our Youtube channels actually had highlights! Our refs actually wore up to date kits without an expired sponsor, and the pen pics were up to date and professional looking.

Keeping the show on the road with this kind of stuff needed a touch more tlc imho. IT surprises me as image and perception is something that has been at the forefront of a lot of Elstone's vision.

[Loup]

2 hours ago, Cheshire Setter said:

As someone who worked in professional communication for more years than I can count on all fingers and toes, my reaction to this posting is that the 'duties' are operational rather than strategic.

Any senior communicator expects to work with the board, implement marketing, work with media, and so on. You could do all these things and still fall flat on your face. Nowhere does this posting speak about desired outcomes-- if I were applying, I'd want to know what SL has in mind for results, e.g., doubling attendance within five years, or doubling sponsorship within five years, or whatever the brains trust has in mind for the organization.

This is written to appeal to someone who is just stepping up from mid-level management, and won't appeal to those with whacking great levels of communication & marketing expertise in another field.

[RP London]

7 minutes ago, Loup said:

As someone who worked in professional communication for more years than I can count on all fingers and toes,

Hang on we need more information on where you are from... in some areas that could mean almost a 5-10 year difference in experience! 

[Cheshire Setter]

1 hour ago, Rupert Prince said:

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.

I’m pretty sure if we re-brand as just “THE” we won’t attract any new fans except maybe French tea-drinkers ️ 

[Cheshire Setter]

11 minutes ago, Loup said:

This is written to appeal to someone who is just stepping up from mid-level management, and won't appeal to those with whacking great levels of communication & marketing expertise in another field.

Fair enough.   I have absolutely no knowledge of that field.

[Loup]

Just now, RP London said:

Hang on we need more information on where you are from... in some areas that could mean almost a 5-10 year difference in experience! 

Also a lumberjack.

[RP London]

3 minutes ago, Loup said:

Also a lumberjack.

A lumberjack from "certain areas" using that analogy just opens up more questions than he answers!... but he wouldnt be on here.. hes too busy putting on women's clothing and hanging around in bars 

[Cheshire Setter]

13 minutes ago, RP London said:

A lumberjack from "certain areas" using that analogy just opens up more questions than he answers!... but he wouldnt be on here.. hes too busy putting on women's clothing and hanging around in bars 

Great buttered scones though.

[Loup]

7 minutes ago, RP London said:

A lumberjack from "certain areas" using that analogy just opens up more questions than he answers!... but he wouldnt be on here.. hes too busy putting on women's clothing and hanging around in bars 

That also.

[whatmichaelsays]

46 minutes ago, Loup said:

As someone who worked in professional communication for more years than I can count on all fingers and toes, my reaction to this posting is that the 'duties' are operational rather than strategic.

 Any senior communicator expects to work with the board, implement marketing, work with media, and so on. You could do all these things and still fall flat on your face. Nowhere does this posting speak about desired outcomes-- if I were applying, I'd want to know what SL has in mind for results, e.g., doubling attendance within five years, or doubling sponsorship within five years, or whatever the brains trust has in mind for the organization.

 This is written to appeal to someone who is just stepping up from mid-level management, and won't appeal to those with whacking great levels of communication & marketing expertise in another field.

In fairness, while I agree to a large extent, it's perhaps unfair to set KPIs that the person being measured against them can't control. 

We could have the slickest media operation in the world, but it counts for nothing if the primary point of conversion, the clubs, can't deliver. It is not the job of Elstone and his team to sell tickets for the clubs - that's what the clubs employ sales and marketing people for. Similarly, the clubs employ media and PR people to get their players in the media eye (and by media eye, I mean more than just the local rag).

As much as I think there is a role for centralised media management, there really does need to be a greater onus put on the clubs. They are the ones who control most of the product (the playing talent, the matchday experience, the direct-to-consumer sales), and they need to stop using the RFL or SLE as a lightning rod for their failings. 

[The Future is League]

4 hours ago, Dave T said:

One of the things I was really hoping for in this new world of SLE ownership of SL was a more professional portrayal of the comp, yet this just doesn't seem to be happening at all.

SL on Youtube -  2 channels, neither up to date. The highlights channel last has a video of the England game 2 months ago.

Referees sponsorship - looks like Specsavers deal has ended, they no longer feature on the TV games, but it looks like the refs and touchies are still wearing the old kits for non-TV games (even though these games have highlights on tv).

And today I was browsing the stats section of the site - the player profile pics are all of last year. Mitch Garbutt the top metre maker, being shown wearing last year's Leeds kit. Other players wearing last years kits with old sponsors on.

These are all things that partners and sponsors are interested in, and tbh it is all just a bit of a dis-organised mess. There are probably a dozen other things once you start looking.

I accept some of the financial limitations that the game works with, but there is no excuse for sloppiness.

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

3 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.

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

[yipyee]

3 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.

That would get confusing with the rugby premiership 

Super league is well established and should stay.

 

[yipyee]

3 minutes 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.

Sponsors look at poential reach not the name of a comp...

[The Future is League]

7 minutes ago, yipyee said:

Sponsors look at poential reach not the name of a comp...

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?

[RigbyLuger]

We want to "break out of the bubble" and move away from treating the players as comedy characters, and yet our latest new messiah goes on Rugby AM, a show which dresses Godwin up as a stereotypical Frenchman to promote a trip to Catalans, and has used blackface in the past, so at odds with those aims.

[Chamey]

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.

 

[Gooleboy]

6 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.

I agree, never liked it being called Super League from the off, and as for Super League Europe, what was that all about?

[Mr Plow]

10 minutes ago, Gooleboy said:

I agree, never liked it being called Super League from the off, and as for Super League Europe, what was that all about?

What would you rather it be called? Can’t call it the Premiership or Premier League since you all ready have Premiership Rugby Union, The Premier League, Premier League darts.

Only other Super League I can think of in the UK is the Women’s football Super League, there are a few abroad I think in Turkey and Switzerland.

[Gooleboy]

2 minutes ago, Mr Plow said:

What would you rather it be called? Can’t call it the Premiership or Premier League since you all ready have Premiership Rugby Union, The Premier League, Premier League darts.

Only other Super League I can think of in the UK is the Women’s football Super League, there are a few abroad I think in Turkey and Switzerland.

Why not the RL Premiership? I think Women's Netball is called Super League.

[Mr Plow]

21 minutes ago, Gooleboy said:

Why not the RL Premiership? I think Women's Netball is called Super League.

I think Premiership it Premier League will always be associated with football plus you can’t have Premiership Rugby and the Rugby League Premiership, they’re both too similar.

Yes SL is used by other sports but you’ll never come up with a unique name and if it isn’t broken why fix it, there is a brand built around SL. Like the Premier League has the lion, Super League has the S 

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

 

 

[Cheshire Setter]

4 hours ago, The Future is League said:

playing a game against Wigan Warriors in Barcelona, which is in Spain some time this year?

Pretty sure Barcelona is in Spain all times of year

Until Catalonia gets it’s independence that is!