Title | REPOSITIONING AND REBRANDING FOOTBALL IN AUSTRALIA |
Brand | FOOTBALL FEDERATION AUSTRALIA |
Product / Service | FOOTBALL |
Category | A02. Rebrand / Refresh of an existing Brand |
Entrant | HULSBOSCH COMMUNICATIONS Sydney, AUSTRALIA |
Idea Creation | HULSBOSCH COMMUNICATIONS Sydney, AUSTRALIA |
Name | Company | Position |
---|---|---|
Hans Hulsbosch | Hulsbosch | Executive Creative Director |
Jaid Hulsbosch | Hulsbosch | Director |
Benni Weller | Hulsbosch | Design Director |
Dean Hazelgrove | Hulsbosch | Senior Designer |
Vivienne Buls | Hulsbosch | Senior Graphic Artist |
Tim Stuperich | Hulsbosch | Creative Services Manager |
Christian Collis | Hulsbosch | Finished Artist |
Chris Round | Hulsbosch | Copywriter |
Clare Bailey | Hulsbosch | Head of Account Management |
The creative solution is a transforming master brand that gives the football code crucial strategic meaning over the long-term and compliments a modernised football logo that is magnetic on and off the field. A clarified and cohesive visual language is at the heart of a strong brand platform that establishes a truly competitive football footprint in Australia. The versatile rebrand will be utilised across a wide range of touch points from broadcast graphics, campaigns, packaging, digital and game day promotions to national kits and fan merchandise.
Our biggest challenge was to differentiate the code from other sporting codes in Australia and discover what truly sets football apart. This was distilled down into three areas that defined football’s unique values and points of difference: Atmosphere: games are electric and entertaining Diversity: football is for everyone Unity: a truly global game These three differentiators and the brand idea “The Unlimited Game” are at the heart of the new identity. Fundamentally, to represent the football code in Australia, we needed the brand to reflect the games’ energy and diversity; and hero its colourful and passionate atmosphere at the stadiums.
The rebranding project has supported and leveraged negotiations for new-era deals with Australian subscription and free-to-air channels to broadcast the A-League competition, plus maintain rights to Socceroo and Matilda (the Australian female team) matches. FFA Chairman, Steven Lowy said: “Since the transformation of our game began back in 2003, the change in football has been remarkable. Football has always been the World Game but it is now also entrenched as a mainstream Australian sport, with deep connections to Asia, the fastest-growing region in the world.” An extensive PR campaign launched, which secured international and local earned-media across all channels, has also contributed to increased brand awareness. Early brand adoption has attracted strong interest for new and renewed membership to football clubs for the 2017/18 seasons in Australia.
After participation in a 12-month consultation process with the football community and club leaders, it became clear that only rebranding the whole of football and uniting all of its tiers and institutions under one coherent banner would deliver on FFA’s 20 year strategy and overcome football’s very low conversion rate. The brand architecture is for the whole of the sport from the grassroots to professional levels including the A-League, W-League, Y-League competitions, National teams, and Member Federations, club as well as for community initiatives. With an aim for category leadership, the brand design appeals to a younger and much broader target audience without alienating a passionate core fan-base.