Should Oldham follow Leigh's example and re-brand?

[Oldham Valderama]

Yesterday's Challenge Cup Final between Leigh & Hull KR was a great game and a fantastic advertisement for Rugby League. Congratulations to Leigh on a hard fought win.

One thing that struck me throughout the build up to the game was the issue of the re-branding of Leigh last year from the Centurions to the Leopards and the resulting success and impact it has had. I remember talking to a few Leigh friends at the time of the re-branding and the general consensus was that it was a bit of a daft idea and would not work. From a personal perspective I did not see anything wrong with the Centurions brand and could not see the re-branding working but I'm no PR / Marketing expert and as it turns out we were all wrong. The town of Leigh has now fully embraced the re-branding and it has played a massive part (along with Derek Beaumont's cash injection of course!!) in the rugby clubs new found success.

This made me think about Oldham's current situation and could a re-branding be the start of better things to come? I've been following Oldham for 40 years since my Dad started taking me to stand behind the sticks at Watersheddings and have seen all the good times and bad. Unfortunately the past few years of the Chris Hamilton reign I became rather disillusioned and no longer attended games however with the new ownership, the move back to Boundary Park and then general upbeat nature of the news coming out of Oldham Rugby my enthusiasm has returned and as soon as season tickets are on sale I'll be there purchasing one as the club now looks to be back on some sort of upward trajectory.

Being a fan of Oldham for such a long time I will always be a "Roughyed" and will always try to respect tradition however what is a "Roughyed" and how would you begin to market one in these modern times. We all know a "Roughyed" relates to the hat making industry but you'd have to be some sort of PR / Marketing genius to be able to market this name  and get the new younger generation of fans on board. Back in the early days of Super League when Oldham decided to call themselves "Oldham Bears" there was a back lash against this from a large number of fans and I can see their point but personally I could see where the club was going with this. The sport itself was changing, you had the Rhino's / Wolves / Tigers etc and the game was trying to appeal to a new audience, from an Oldham perspective for me it was a good idea but in hindsight badly executed. When the Oldham Bears folded and were then reborn as Oldham Roughyeds i remember thinking at the time its great that Oldham again has a rugby team but the nick name "Roughyeds" although traditional and well respected in the game is in my opinion no longer viable in the modern era, even more so in today's social media age.

I just think that with all the positives coming out of Oldham Rugby at the moment personally now is the time to look at how the club is portrayed to the wider community and how can the club attract a new audience. "Roughyeds" will always be part of the Oldham Rugby history and as such should always be respected however its not the 1950's anymore, times have changed, the world has moved on (for both good and bad) and i think it is now time for Oldham Rugby to have a look at how it promotes / markets itself and how it can attract a much wider audience and fan base. Leigh has proven that even with initial opposition if done correctly and with consultation with fans the impact can be massive and if you get the fans on board can bring success off the field to hopefully match success on the field.

Just a thought, Thanks

 

[The Art of Hand and Foot]

I said quite often that we should retain the Roughyed name. But what is a Roughyed? It's whatever we want it to be. Let's take as examples the recent incarnations. The ginger rice Krispies kid was just unmarketable. Roary is more marketable but should be called Roughyed not Roary. But to me the best by far was the Bear. Now don't get me wrong, the Oldham bears are long gone. But a Bear called Roughyed!? Oldham Roughyeds fronted by a  Bear called Roughyed! Yes I know, I've heard the arguments. Remember the t shirt with the Bear and Roughyeds emblazoned on it? 

[Dave Naylor]

Absolutely.

I've been banging this drum for many years now.  

You cannot market Roughyeds.  It's a great historic nickname but it belongs as a historical fact, much like The Gallant Youths of Batley or The Chemics of Widnes.  Respectfully acknowledged but nevertheless put out to pasture.

When Leigh announced that they were to become Leopards I must admit to being a doubter.  Leopard skin, really?  How wrong was I.  No matter how tacky I think it looks, it's  worked and the town of Leigh has got behind it.  I take my hat off to Derek Beaumont.  He had a mad idea, stayed the course and look what's happened.

We've had a poorly executed minor rebrand in the past few years.  I was shouting from the rooftops to get rid of our heraldic logo yet we ended up with the same thing but just plonked on a shield.  A non-rebrand.  The marketing people behind it were not really RL fans and are pretty-much clueless.  I understand they're moving on at the end of this season.  Hallelujah! 

So what do we become.  Do you know what, I don't mind becoming Oldham Bears again.  You can market that, you can create a whole bear branding.  I'm sure at some point in the distant past there were bears wandering around the lands that have since become Oldham.  Probably more bears in Oldham than rhinos in Leeds.

Let's use Leigh as an example of what we can achieve.  We're a bigger town with an impressive RL heritage.  

 

 

Edited August 13, 2023 by Dave Naylor

[ArthurO]

1 hour ago, Dave Naylor said:

Do you know what, I don't mind becoming Oldham Bears again. 

Dave.

Why do re-brandings have to be named after animals ?

We've already tried the name 'Bears' and it wasn't wildly successful. And why try to resurrect something historic from many years ago?

If we had to ditch the name 'Roughyeds' then why not try a unique or futuristic name ? Something that's completely different from anything that's gone before.  Something that captures people's imagination.

As an example:  Oldham VULCANS      (a nod to Vulcan Street near Watersheddings)

It may appeal to a younger generation and would possibly have greater marketable potential than a 'Bear' ?  ?

 

[Dave Naylor]

Jeez.  I grew up crossing Vulcan Street on my way to and from the schools in Derker.  My parents lived in the houses that were knocked down to create East Oldham Methodist Church.  I'm literally a Vulcan! My dad was a regular in The Wellington Pub.

Vulcan, Bear, Whatever.  Let's be something!

[Roughyed Rats]

9 hours ago, Dave Naylor said:

Jeez.  I grew up crossing Vulcan Street on my way to and from the schools in Derker.  My parents lived in the houses that were knocked down to create East Oldham Methodist Church.  I'm literally a Vulcan! My dad was a regular in The Wellington Pub.

Vulcan, Bear, Whatever.  Let's be something!

Interesting topic. Given the weather in Oldham, perhaps we should become Lightening or Storm  I suppose Vulcan does have ties to Oldham (the bomber made by Avros)

Edited August 14, 2023 by Roughyed Rats

[thinboyfat]

I'm a little long in the tooth now and a traditionalist, however in this day and age, anything that can take the club forward (especially with the new ownership) has to be a good thing. 

Maybe a rebrand would help the club grow, creating a name/brand that perks the interest of young Oldamers and helps them relate to the club must be a good thing in helping the club grow and expand the fan base. 

As I say I'm a traditionalist, I accept people don't always like change, having said that anything that propels the club forward can't be a bad thing, can it? 

[Roughyed Rats]

12 hours ago, Dave Naylor said:

Absolutely.

I've been banging this drum for many years now.  

You cannot market Roughyeds.  It's a great historic nickname but it belongs as a historical fact, much like The Gallant Youths of Batley or The Chemics of Widnes.  Respectfully acknowledged but nevertheless put out to pasture.

When Leigh announced that they were to become Leopards I must admit to being a doubter.  Leopard skin, really?  How wrong was I.  No matter how tacky I think it looks, it's  worked and the town of Leigh has got behind it.  I take my hat off to Derek Beaumont.  He had a mad idea, stayed the course and look what's happened.

We've had a poorly executed minor rebrand in the past few years.  I was shouting from the rooftops to get rid of our heraldic logo yet we ended up with the same thing but just plonked on a shield.  A non-rebrand.  The marketing people behind it were not really RL fans and are pretty-much clueless.  I understand they're moving on at the end of this season.  Hallelujah! 

So what do we become.  Do you know what, I don't mind becoming Oldham Bears again.  You can market that, you can create a whole bear branding.  I'm sure at some point in the distant past there were bears wandering around the lands that have since become Oldham.  Probably more bears in Oldham than rhinos in Leeds.

Let's use Leigh as an example of what we can achieve.  We're a bigger town with an impressive RL heritage.  

 

 

Have to agree about the town crest on a shield. Looks amateurish. 

[Jimmy DoNut]

12 hours ago, Dave Naylor said:

Absolutely.

I've been banging this drum for many years now.  

You cannot market Roughyeds.  It's a great historic nickname but it belongs as a historical fact, much like The Gallant Youths of Batley or The Chemics of Widnes.  Respectfully acknowledged but nevertheless put out to pasture.

When Leigh announced that they were to become Leopards I must admit to being a doubter.  Leopard skin, really?  How wrong was I.  No matter how tacky I think it looks, it's  worked and the town of Leigh has got behind it.  I take my hat off to Derek Beaumont.  He had a mad idea, stayed the course and look what's happened.

We've had a poorly executed minor rebrand in the past few years.  I was shouting from the rooftops to get rid of our heraldic logo yet we ended up with the same thing but just plonked on a shield.  A non-rebrand.  The marketing people behind it were not really RL fans and are pretty-much clueless.  I understand they're moving on at the end of this season.  Hallelujah! 

So what do we become.  Do you know what, I don't mind becoming Oldham Bears again.  You can market that, you can create a whole bear branding.  I'm sure at some point in the distant past there were bears wandering around the lands that have since become Oldham.  Probably more bears in Oldham than rhinos in Leeds.

Let's use Leigh as an example of what we can achieve.  We're a bigger town with an impressive RL heritage.  

 

 

 

Very good, this in bold really made me smile

I particularly like the name Valkyrie for the York Womens team, very original. A Valkyrie is a female warrior from Norse mythology apparently!

Something different & original like that might work.

I guesst the Oldham Donuts is a non-starter!!    

Edited August 14, 2023 by Jimmy DoNut

[Blind side johnny]

Just one point with reference to Leigh. Their rebranding didn't precede their success but built upon it. Maybe Keighley are a better example - get the basics right first before embarking on a PR campaign.

[sheddingswasus]

12 hours ago, The Art of Hand and Foot said:

I said quite often that we should retain the Roughyed name. But what is a Roughyed? It's whatever we want it to be. Let's take as examples the recent incarnations. The ginger rice Krispies kid was just unmarketable. Roary is more marketable but should be called Roughyed not Roary. But to me the best by far was the Bear. Now don't get me wrong, the Oldham bears are long gone. But a Bear called Roughyed!? Oldham Roughyeds fronted by a  Bear called Roughyed! Yes I know, I've heard the arguments. Remember the t shirt with the Bear and Roughyeds emblazoned on it? 

Still got my tee shirt

[Roughyed Rats]

I wasn't a big fan of being Bears at the time but don't mind the idea now. Is it associated too much with the past / loss of Sheddings / JQ etc?

Edited August 14, 2023 by Roughyed Rats

[The Art of Hand and Foot]

11 minutes ago, Roughyed Rats said:

I wasn't a big fan of being Bears at the time but don't mind the idea now. Is it associated too much with the past / loss of Sheddings / JQ etc?

That's one reason why I suggested retention of the Roughyed name but use the bear as the mascot. What's a Roughyed? A bear. At the moment we use a lion, but we're not Lions, that's Swinton. 

[shrewsbury roughyed]

This is a fascinating topic and though it pains my heart, to move on from the beloved and historic Roughyeds may have to happen, alongside a serious and systematic and long term strategy to grow the club within all sections of the Oldham community. I agree with Blind Side Johnny’s point that Leigh’s state at the time of rebrand was significantly in advance of ours is now, but the new ownership, direction, move to B Park, link with Latics and hopefully promotion suggest that now siukd be the right time for us. I will always be a Roughyed, but then again I was always a Bear too, for that short existence. The club won’t grow just by keeping the ageing likes of me, only by opening out and making a splash in the public eye. Hence I suspect that my choice as the Oldham Tubular Bandages will be rejected. Seriously though, the fact that we’re having this discussion and it includes ‘returnees’ to the fold signifies the positive and exciting times ahead, in which can all play our part. 

[moorside roughyed]

10 minutes ago, shrewsbury roughyed said:

This is a fascinating topic and though it pains my heart, to move on from the beloved and historic Roughyeds may have to happen, alongside a serious and systematic and long term strategy to grow the club within all sections of the Oldham community. I agree with Blind Side Johnny’s point that Leigh’s state at the time of rebrand was significantly in advance of ours is now, but the new ownership, direction, move to B Park, link with Latics and hopefully promotion suggest that now siukd be the right time for us. I will always be a Roughyed, but then again I was always a Bear too, for that short existence. The club won’t grow just by keeping the ageing likes of me, only by opening out and making a splash in the public eye. Hence I suspect that my choice as the Oldham Tubular Bandages will be rejected. Seriously though, the fact that we’re having this discussion and it includes ‘returnees’ to the fold signifies the positive and exciting times ahead, in which can all play our part. 

There used to be a guy on here called "home of the tubular bandage" haven't seen a post of him in ages.

[shrewsbury roughyed]

6 minutes ago, moorside roughyed said:

There used to be a guy on here called "home of the tubular bandage" haven't seen a post of him in ages.

I heard he’d got Mumps.

[Oldham Valderama]

If i remember rightly around the time of the rebrand years ago to the "Oldham Bears" there was a strong rumour going round that "Oldham Barracudas" was under serious consideration. I'd like to have seen how that one would have been marketed to the population of Oldham 

[Jimmy DoNut]

6 minutes ago, Oldham Valderama said:

If i remember rightly around the time of the rebrand years ago to the "Oldham Bears" there was a strong rumour going round that "Oldham Barracudas" was under serious consideration. I'd like to have seen how that one would have been marketed to the population of Oldham 

Huddersfield were once known as Barracuda's 

[sheddingswasus]

Strange thing is having watched Leigh’s win at Wembley, I was thinking about this myself and was going to post a topic. But got beaten to it. 

Hats off to how Leigh have made it work. 
Going back to calling it Oldham Bears, the name was well established and rolls easily off the tongue. 

The Roughyeds will always be our historic nickname but as others have said you just can’t market the name well. 

Just think of merchandise for kids and it is a winner already. 

We are all proud of our name Oldham Rugby League Club, we just need a catchy name and brand for the kids. 
 

We could even have our range of “Bear Wear”or “Bear Brand”

Interesting, I am just with my 5 year grandson. I asked should we call the rugby Oldham Roughyeds or Oldham Bears. Straight  off he said Bears, and asked if he can have a tee shirt with the bear on.

 

Edited August 14, 2023 by sheddingswasus

[The Art of Hand and Foot]

1 hour ago, Oldham Valderama said:

If i remember rightly around the time of the rebrand years ago to the "Oldham Bears" there was a strong rumour going round that "Oldham Barracudas" was under serious consideration. I'd like to have seen how that one would have been marketed to the population of Oldham 

Prior to the name change, the club programmes used the bear image without any further indication of the change ahead. So by the time the name change was announced it was not really a surprise.

Prior to that we were Oldham football club. So if we were to revert to our traditional name, it would be that.

Edited August 14, 2023 by The Art of Hand and Foot

[sheddingswasus]

I agree on that. Oldham FC. 

[shrewsbury roughyed]

If Leigh can do it so can we — Ford | Oldham RLFC (roughyeds.co.uk)

 

[PaulB1984]

I grew up watching Ford & company, then the Bears, then the new Roughyeds. I also work in design and regularly deal with re-brands. Roughyeds is no doubt a tricky one! Its unique and shouldn't be lost but simply doesn't resonate with many (if any) audiences. Also think the execution of the Leopards brand is poor, its a bit too fancy dress for me.

What about something like the Oldham Edge, Oldham Revolution. Both terms have direct links to the town, both also have real marketing possibilities. Even the red & white hoops could remain in some form. Other sports have moved away from animal nicknames, its been done to death!

Look forward to visiting BP soon, been too long 

[Tim G]

I agree entirely with you Paul. The animal names are outdated and tbh can sound quite childish. I have been thinking all day about a name change that will create a stir and lead to great merchandising for the club.  Maybe we should ask the next generation for ideas as they are immersed in the new world of media.

 

 

[sheddingswasus]

But we are talking reconnecting with former and lapsed fans and new fans. I think the discussion about the Bears was to reconnect with both groups. We know it is easy to market as well. The name is also was known in the sport. I did a Google search and was amazed how many things came up