Brand is “The intangible sum of a product’s attributes: its name, packaging, and price, its history, its reputation, and the way it’s advertised.”

- David Ogilvy, Author of On Advertising

Consistency in Color and Fonts Across All Assets

Clubs that use consistent color or color combinations that tie to every potential branding asset are more recognizable and perceived as successful and strong. For example, international soccer fans easily recognize orange as the color of the Netherlands national team just as American college football fans recognize that same color as being part of the University of Tennessee’s brand. Youth clubs that constantly change uniform color schemes and other brand assets do a disservice to their overall brand development and recognition. The same should be applied regarding fonts and font sizing. Choose fonts that help your brand stand out and then utilize that font across every communication asset.

Visuals in Club Branding

All youth clubs employ a badge/patch/logo that represents their brand across club assets (uniforms, digital, social media, other communications) and this element of a youth clubs brand development should not be taken lightly. The badge/logo should convey the essence of your brand so that the consumer understands your affiliations, strengths and status. For example, the “NY” in the NY Yankees logo conveys logo conveys that clubs tie to New York City and is an example of a simple but strong visual branding element. Your branding elements do not need to be forever static but should contain elements to prior executions that keep your brand equity intact.

The example below shows how Manchester United has evolved its visual elements over the years.

Taglines/Brand Messaging

Developing a tagline that accompanies all branding assets can help to strengthen a brands recognition with consumers. Think Nike’s “Just do it” or Under Armor’s “Protect this House”.

Consider Partnerships with Strong Brands

When clubs are working to build their brand it often makes sense to affiliate with another like-minded but stronger brand to help elevate your own. For example, United Way’s affiliation with the NFL helped to build their brand. GoPro and Red Bull teamed up in a branding partnership that helped GoPro build its brand equity. Many youth clubs try to use their affiliation with an apparel supplier (i.e., Nike, Adidas, Puma) to lift their brand and while on the surface this appears to be a branding partnership, in reality it is not because the manufacturer is not reciprocating by promoting the clubs’ brand across its media assets. Look for a partnership that is out of the box to help strengthen your clubs brand equity. In short, brand is caring about every aspect of your club. It includes vision and mission but also your people, your players, and every interaction ever made between a consumer and your organization.

Director's Cut, Touchline - April 2021 Issue