The aggressive branding process for the Western Force started immediately the franchise was announced as the new player in the Super 14 rugby competition.
And according to Western Force media and communication manager Tom Baddeley (pictured), this immediacy has helped the team’s brand achieve such a high degree of success, ultimately placing third in WA Business News’s emerging brands survey.
“Right from the outset we got the brand right,” Mr Baddeley said.
“We knew it had to be unique and looked at what it needed to achieve.
“Some of the core values the brand had to have were success, energy, unity, vision, growth, pride, professionalism, and delivery.”
Mr Baddelely said it was also important for the brand to be understood by a range of people.
“The brand had to compete with the AFL and create a culture of its own,” he said.
And because the Force’s successful bid was a hot news item, it was vital that the community had something to see and believe in straight away, which is where the black swan icon came into play.
Western Force promoted its brand by using a DVD presentation about the brand’s creation as part of the brand launch. A jersey launch followed, which was also important because it was the first time the public was able to experience the brand.
The challenge for branding in the future, according to Mr Baddeley, will be to maintain the raw enthusiasm for the Western Force brand.
