REPOSITIONING AND REBRANDING FOOTBALL IN AUSTRALIA

TitleREPOSITIONING AND REBRANDING FOOTBALL IN AUSTRALIA
BrandFOOTBALL FEDERATION AUSTRALIA
Product / ServiceFOOTBALL
CategoryA02. Rebrand / Refresh of an existing Brand
EntrantHULSBOSCH COMMUNICATIONS Sydney, AUSTRALIA
Idea Creation HULSBOSCH COMMUNICATIONS Sydney, AUSTRALIA

Credits

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 Campaign

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.

Creative Execution

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.

Indication of how successful the outcome was in the market

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.

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