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When does it stop becoming just a football club and start becoming a brand? And what about ‘identity’?

8th November 2016 By Steve Cook 8 Comments

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During a workplace discussion on brand loyalty and customer retention (yes, my job really can be THAT exciting), I was asked which brands I felt a close affiliation with.

I had nothing.

But that was before I had read Karren Brady’s recent interview and stopped to consider the link between branding and football clubs.

Like our own chairman, Brady is a regular on the television screen, swapping the boardroom of West Ham for the boardroom of The Apprentice on the BBC.

But in contrast with ‘our Ed’, her appearances have seemingly attracted little attention or criticism – presumably because they allow her to display business acumen rather than displaying sequinned vests, fancy footwork and a pair of jazz hands.

However, it is precisely that business acumen which might warrant some concern from the West Ham supporters in light of the following comments.

“The Olympic Stadium had been built less than, sort of, a mile away from us [sic] and we saw that as a real opportunity to change the brand values of the club.” she said.  “Rebranding ourselves was really important with our stadium. We’re in the London Stadium. We added the word London to our crest because we felt it had real global appeal.

The aim is to change the image of the club; to establish a worldwide presence; to increase and alter its fan base and to try and take it to the next ‘level’.

Admirable stuff – but at what cost? For whilst cosmetic changes to a club crest have become increasingly common place and are little to worry about, changing the club’s underlying core values is something else.

After all, West Ham is a club which has basked in its traditions and history (they even beat West Germany in the World Cup final in 1966, in case you haven’t been told).

But how do you position a club like that on a global stage without fundamentally losing its sense of identity and jeopardising the cultural ties with its current supporters?

Over recent weeks, the discussion here on MyFootballWriter has often focussed on Norwich City’s current position in football’s hierarchy and our ability, or otherwise, to progress and develop into something more.

We’ve had debate over increasing the capacity, either through redevelopment of Carrow Road or relocation; debate over the merits of changing the age profile of the fan base and reinvigorating the atmosphere at games by altering the balance of season ticket holders and casual supporters.

Exactly the challenge taken on by West Ham as it seeks to brand itself as the London club and attract new faces to its new stadium.

But what are the current brand values of Norwich City? What is it that makes us want to show our allegiance by wearing the colours and buying all manner of assorted merchandise that sports a canary sat on top of a football?

Like West Ham, Norwich City is a club firmly rooted within the heart of its community. The club is not just another business that operates in our fine city – it is part of the fabric of the city and the wider region.

And maybe that’s what we’re all buying into – a sense of identity and community.

It is a family club supported by good ‘ol boys and gals who call up the local radio station to question what’s going on in training (Neyul).

A club full of character and characters – whether that’s on the terraces or in the boardroom.

Much has been said about the role of our majority shareholders in creating and cultivating a ‘Little Norwich’ mind-set based on deep-rooted cultural values which limit ambition and progress.

To some, the brand has become dated and tired. Like a small traditional shop that refuses to adapt to a changing world or meet consumer needs.

But does that mean we should bail out and head over to the new ‘megastore’ instead?

If it was solely about the end-product, we’d spend our money on subscriptions to the various TV sports channels and watch the best players in the world from the comfort of our living rooms rather than traipsing down to Carrow Road to watch Norwich City.

Or we could swap our allegiances to other brands that offered fewer heart-aches and better products and end up having more sides than a fifty pence piece?

In her interview, Karren Brady suggests “at football clubs we don’t make anything, we don’t manufacture anything, we don’t really produce anything other than more players”.

But I disagree. Football clubs do make something – they make memories.

And whilst that may sound twee, consider the attachment you have for Norwich City and the basis on which it’s founded.

Memories, right? And memories you could never get from watching ‘Super Sunday’.

These are the memories that are built on and reflective of the emotional investment we’ve made as supporters of the club.

I love being a Norwich fan; putting on my colours and going to a match whether at home or away. Sure it’s not always easy – in fact at the moment it’s bloody awful – but it’s a club that I am proud to support; a club that reflects my community and where I come from.

That’s not to say that I don’t recognise the need for change or want the club to progress. Merely that in taking the club forward, I would be gutted if it lost its sense of identity and the things which lie at its very heart.

Steve posts on Twitter @stevocook


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Filed Under: Column, Steve Cook

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Comments

  1. Johnstonpickle says

    8th November 2016 at 9:17 am

    Sounds like a UKIP speech Steve!

    Have Liverpool lost their identity due to having fans all around the globe? Are those fans not as important as those who live in Liverpool?

    Reply
  2. Give-it-toVarco says

    8th November 2016 at 11:52 am

    An excellent piece, Steve. I agree completely about the importance of the identity of ‘our’ club and the fact that its value is just as much about belonging to a community as it is about winning things/everything! But it seems that so many ‘modern’ fans (and I do use the term pejoratively) can’t see any further than the end of their petulant noses or at most the last three results.

    Personally I’m delighted that D & M won’t sell to some billionaire who ultimately won’t give a toss about us or are club.

    Reply
  3. Canary Mary says

    8th November 2016 at 12:19 pm

    Oh goodness! If only I could put my feelings into words as you.
    I am 100% behind what you are saying.
    Memories by the hundreds.
    My first came when my first game at the CARRA was Gunny’s
    return inbetween “the sticks”! After losing his daughter:(
    Gosh my hero received such an unbelievable reception which continued throughout the game to show our support to our
    goal-keeper showing our support to one of our own.I was hooked,always supported from afar- but since that fearful day for Bryan I hardly missed a home game.
    Watching the Ipswich!-Bayern Munich-Inter Milan et al.
    Many delirious – nail-biting-tear jerking moments!
    Wouldn’t change it for the world.
    Might not be “TOP OF THE LEAGUE” winning everything
    every game but being in one of the BEST FOOTBALL FAMILIES in the world is PRICELESS
    If I could sit our team down right now! I’d like to say to them
    “YOU ARE FAMILY” too! From now to the end of the season
    show the rest of your family you are prepared to FIGHT for us X WE WILL SUPPORT YOU .WE WILL BE YOUR 12th man.
    NCFC.OTBC.CTID

    Reply
  4. pab says

    8th November 2016 at 2:27 pm

    Yes I feel so sorry for those Bournemouth fans ….. A few years ago they virtually went bust and dropped out of the league. Since being taken over they now have to endure watching an attractive team playing Premier League football, retaining their best players, buying exciting new ones properly scouted, and led by a really clever manager.

    Reply
  5. Dave B says

    8th November 2016 at 4:04 pm

    ‘And maybe that’s what we’re all buying into – a sense of identity and community.

    It is a family club supported by good ‘ol boys and gals who call up the local radio station to question what’s going on in training (Neyul).

    A club full of character and characters – whether that’s on the terraces or in the boardroom.”

    —

    If you asked any set of supporters I’d imagine at least half would say you were describing their club.

    Reply
  6. Gary Field says

    8th November 2016 at 4:17 pm

    @4 Pab – a heavy hint of irony there, no doubt.

    They probably care little for the £8m fine they incurred too for breaking the Championship FFP rules the season before, especially as it was someone else’s money being used to prime the pump.

    There’s nothing in the game about clubs operating on a sustainable basis – and never likely to be either. And, therein lies the biggest problem. Personally, I can’t ever see it changing either.

    Reply
  7. Steve Cook says

    8th November 2016 at 7:20 pm

    Jeez JP (1) – that certainly wasn’t the intention! I guess there is something fundamentally tribal about football support (the fact that we are segregated into our own areas, wearing our colours etc) that perhaps fosters the kind of parochial thinking that lies at the heart of so many of today’s issues. Thank heavens it’s ‘only’ football!!

    Pab (4) – I’m not against new investment or a change in ownership. I’m just intrigued by what it may cost in terms of changing the club’s identity and our affiliation as a result. Bournemouth would appear to have ‘got it right’ for now. I’m interested to see what happens at West Ham and how the club adjusts to its new home and ‘brand values’.

    Dave (5) – I think you’re right… probably more than half. After all, if clubs didn’t create a sense of belonging we’d feel more like customers instead of supporters. The question for me is how you generate and retain loyalty when trying to fundamentally redefine the core values of the club?

    Reply
  8. Cityfan says

    8th November 2016 at 8:31 pm

    I don’t see how people can claim Bournemouth are a success. This is only their second year in the Prem. It takes stability of Stoke proportions to establish yourself. Southampton are getting there. West Brom. No one else, particularly. The trick is to get sustained investment or accept a yo-yo existence for a while but always keeping in the top 22/23.
    There is still time to see if Moxey gets our ‘brand’ but it strikes me we need a manager with a great deal more experience to help us stabilise and establish ourselves as some of the teams above.

    Reply

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