Club tagline

[Andre]

Obviously following on from the focus groups, the latest email from the club has given a choice of taglines to use in future marketing. Whilst none are perfect, the 'Live the creed - est 1870' is definitely a step in the right direction, over the other generic 'join the power', 'join the family' blah blah.

As per the latest email from the club. I'd suggest as many as possible email them (at customer_relations@pafc.com.au) to help ensure this plastic dildo float vision of what Port should stand for is buried.

What I sent to them is below. I couldn't resist a spiel about how pissed I've been at our marketing 'efforts' of late.


Most definitely - Live the Creed - est 1870

Our history is our strength. Our attempts to be 'all things to all people' and minimise has been a disaster. Having lived in Melbourne for 5 years and only recently returned to SA, whilst Port is no more liked then any other non-Victorian club, I found we got a lot more respect as a 'Real' club - not a bunch of theatre goers who don't really understand football. If it's bleedingly obvious to those who don't support us in another state what our strength is, if has had me baffled why we couldn't (or wouldn't) see it.

It doesn't take a genius to see a marketing campaign along the lines of a history of Port tough play over the years (the sort of play you can't see in the AFL these days - Granger, Evans, Pickett) versus images of Crows grannies knitting with a byline 'Of sit with gran, or show your own Power' or similar can simultaneously embrace our history and be aimed at the youth market to capture new supporters. In contrast to our 'efforts' of ignoring our history at every opportunity and wondering why we both lose old supporters and don't capture enough new ones when the club has tried to be a 'Crows-lite'.

Regards,
André ...

 

[Ford Fairlane]

Yeah I put my hand up for Live the Creed est 1870 at the focus group and sent a follow up email to the club reaffirming that view.

To me it really captured something uniquely Port Adelaide and was more about the way we want our club to play than the other more generic offerings.

 

[Papa G]

I was at the Marketing focus group and there were 6 taglines listed. The 2 that were most popular (well the only 2, because the others sounded like marketing twaddle) were the Live the Creed motto as you've mentioned and "Exist to Win". I argued strongly for the the Live the Creed - est 1870, because firstly it sounded better and encapsulated what the PAFC is all about and secondly, I thought the "Exist To Win" tagline was really opening us up to ridicule if your having a season like we are having this year and also somebody else pointed out if we're not winning, do we even exist?

I am fairly confident the Live the Creed - est 1870 will be our tagline in 2009.

 

[morell]

Yep, #5 will win hands down.

I also noticed they were having more of those focus group thingy me bobs, this time from 6.30-8pm.

 

[Black 18]

Great to see the club taking note of the mood of the fans in relation to marketing and the like. Fantastic stuff .

However, they can market the club anyway they like and it won't make one little bit of differnace unless Choco changes some of his ways too. People aren't stupid, you can say this and that and whatever, but at the end of the day what will sell our club is what we do out on the ground.

Keep playing a boundary hugging chipfest and people will soon realise what is being said and what is being given are two completely different things.

If they are going to adapt the Creed in any possible way to help advertise the club then I for one truly hope Choco reads the damn thing and puts the basic principles into play on the field too.

I don't want to see something as significant as the Creed wasted on a side that runs away at the slighest hint of a strong opponent.

If we do use it, then honour it too.

 

[TheFVK]

Nice insight there, hard to argue with the new tagline. Good to see that Port are big enough to admit when they've taken a wrong step. Also ties in with our (touch wood) new onfield direction of tough football.

Gotta play to your strengths, and personally I'd take a high quality club over a highly quantity of supporters anyday.

 

[Papa G]

Great to see the club taking note of the mood of the fans in relation to marketing and the like. Fantastic stuff .

However, they can market the club anyway they like and it won't make one little bit of differnace unless Choco changes some of his ways too. People aren't stupid, you can say this and that and whatever, but at the end of the day what will sell our club is what we do out on the ground.

Keep playing a boundary hugging chipfest and people will soon realise what is being said and what is being given are two completely different things.

If they are going to adapt the Creed in any possible way to help advertise the club then I for one truly hope Choco reads the damn thing and puts the basic principles into play on the field too.

I don't want to see something as significant as the Creed wasted on a side that runs away at the slighest hint of a strong opponent.

If we do use it, then honour it too.

Agree. It's hard to believe in the creed if the son of the man who created it will not follow it.

 

[TheFridge]

Most definitely - Live the Creed - est 1870

Our history is our strength. Our attempts to be 'all things to all people' and minimise has been a disaster. Having lived in Melbourne for 5 years and only recently returned to SA, whilst Port is no more liked then any other non-Victorian club, I found we got a lot more respect as a 'Real' club - not a bunch of theatre goers who don't really understand football. If it's bleedingly obvious to those who don't support us in another state what our strength is, if has had me baffled why we couldn't (or wouldn't) see it.

It doesn't take a genius to see a marketing campaign along the lines of a history of Port tough play over the years (the sort of play you can't see in the AFL these days - Granger, Evans, Pickett) versus images of Crows grannies knitting with a byline 'Of sit with gran, or show your own Power' or similar can simultaneously embrace our history and be aimed at the youth market to capture new supporters. In contrast to our 'efforts' of ignoring our history at every opportunity and wondering why we both lose old supporters and don't capture enough new ones when the club has tried to be a 'Crows-lite'.

Regards,
André ...

Great post, Andre

100% agree!

P.S. Hope the move home has gone well.

 

[S.Patrol.G]

Live the Creed- est 1870. That's the one for me. I would also like to see a greater focus on our colours of Black, White and Silver. The Teal is great for the kids but it is the Black and White that gets my emotions running.

I have often wondered why the club has not developed more apparel and even a home guernsey based on Black and Silver ala the LA Raiders.

We all know the issues with vertical striping that is Black and White but Silver is one of our registered colours is it not?

How would a guernsey with Black and silver vertical striping go? It's not as if all vertically striped guernseys are not allowed are they (although Nth Melb seem to have some issues at the moment when playing the D.U.I. Football Club)

....and I know we have won a flag in the current home guernsey, but to be honest I've never been a fan of the SBS style pattern on the front.

While I'm on it- if the Club persists with that ridiculous mechanical arm, I'm gonna find out where it's kept and blow it up.

 

[Eddie Dingle]

Interesting post S.P.G........ I agree with the LIVE THE CREED tagline and think most Port Adelaide supporters will. However I have come to love the new jumper and seeing the boys win a flag in it played a massive part in that new love. I would hate to see us ever "really" change the Power home jumper it is part of the foundation that our time in the AFL has been built on.

Away/Clash jumpers I'm not fussed what we do hopefully we will only see them once or twice ayear if they are true clash jumpers and they are a great revenue raiser for the club so meh.

My only hope regarding colours is that we ditch the Teal and call it what it is - BLUE. We have the same colours as Cronulla in the NRL and yet we for some strange reason call it Teal??? Granted our jumpers were Teal in the beginning but if thats not blue now I'm not here.

As for that mechanical arm let me know if you find it and need help

 

[Ford Fairlane]

Just as a bit of idle speculation, if Port created a say white or silver on teal prison bar away guernsey (could have a white back panel and black numbers), what would you think? I've tossed this idea around in my head ... I don't like messing with the tradition of the b&w pb guernsey, but I've seen the design in other colours (like the maroon and white of Queensland) and I think it works - it's just such a great footy jumper design.

I reckon they'd sell. Heck, if people buy the fountain away guernsey ...

 

[Portia]

I don't get the email, what are the other tagline options?

 

[tribey]

Heck, if people buy the fountain away guernsey ...

It looked good on the right giftee, not so much Ladeyy.

 

[Steve Dore]

1) Join our Journey, 2) We exist to win, 3) Your Real Religion, 4) Feel the Power, 5) Live the Creed - est 1870 6) Made by Members 7) Join the Family

Live the Creed - est 1870 is definitely the pick of the bunch.

Join the Family is in rather poor taste for an SA based club

 

[Ford Fairlane]

Live the Creed - est 1870 is definitely the pick of the bunch.

Join the Family is in rather poor taste for an SA based club

I don't remember that one at the focus groups ... that's a shocker, someone who hasn't heard of the 80s must've come up with that.

Would Bevan von Einem be our #1 ticket holder?

 

[tribey]

Would Bevan von Einem be our #1 ticket holder?

Nah, Alberton_Magpie would endeavour to land him with one of his late picks.

 

[Steve Dore]

..... Would Bevan von Einem be our #1 ticket holder?

Well we could hardly ask Rob Kelvin.

 

[Spadge]

just emailed my vote for LIVE THE CREED!

 

[Capital Power]

SNIP ...

My only hope regarding colours is that we ditch the Teal and call it what it is - BLUE. We have the same colours as Cronulla in the NRL and yet we for some strange reason call it Teal??? Granted our jumpers were Teal in the beginning but if thats not blue now I'm not here.

As a long term Cronulla supporter I kinda concur here. Cronulla's jumper was originally predominantly "sky blue" with black and white "V" (and later horizontal stripes). Some Port clothing I have seen to be closer to that than "teal" - the shading seems to be variable. IMHO the current home jumper would look better in sky anyway. But if we are to stick with "teal", let's at least formalise what shade it precisely is, as it can range anywhere from blue to green ...

As an aside, IIRC one of the nicknames being considered for us on our AFL entry was "Sharks" .. with the similarity of the colours as well, was this just a coincidence or was there some kind of connection envisaged? I trust there's no omen here as in their 40 years of existence they've won diddly-squat.

And finally, on topic (sorry) I concur with "live the creed". Provided we actually DO ....

 

[bomberclifford]

Ok to add some balance here, while I definitely agree with the two preferred options being "We exist to win" and "Live the Creed - est 1870", I'm not entirely sure that the latter is a lay down misere.

I'd ask those in favour to consider if they would feel the same without the "est 1870" suffix. (As an aside, I find it very interesting that, of all the options, this was the only one that referred to 1870)

I also take issue with the "creed" being linked to 1870. The creed was not written in 1870. It's a tenuous link and lacking in genuine statement of purpose. It's awkward and begs the question, "why not, 'exist to win - est 1870'"?

The others were weak marketing guff, so weak in fact that I suspect they were intentionally so. (FWIW, we* often use the tactic of presenting weaker or lesser concepts to push the one we feel is strongest. People want choice but will only assess the options given if there are more than five to choose from. If you only give them three choices, they then start to say, "what about..." or "have you considered...")

My feeling about the "We exist to win" is that it references the driving ethos of PAFC: We exist to win premierships.

My only criticism is that I think that it should be shortened to "Exist to win" thereby becoming a more universal proclamation of the attitude incumbent in the club, its players and its members. A direction rather than a statement. A goal rather than a wish.

I'd also say, forget about the "too easy to ridicule" issue as you will be ridiculed by the opposition for whatever you put up. Besides, even in lean years like 2008, the core philosophy is to win, even if you don't.

Anyway, thems me thoughts and I expect to be hounded down by the old timers and the wanna-be-old-timers, but I really do think that the liking of the creed option has more to do with the "est 1870" being present than a connection with clear and concise message about PAFC.

Be good to hear your responses, yay or nay.

PS I thought the same thing about "The Family". Very, very odd decision to put that in there.

* I'm a brand strategist by trade.

 

[MP_]

bomber i think "Exist to Win" is perfect, I can imagine so much merchandising with this on it. my kids are growing up in an era where u play sport to participate and that scores and results don't matter. I want my kids to be able to feel the joy of winning and the pain of losing and that supporting port means wanting to win at all costs. Exist to win sums up my feelings about port to a tea. someone make a bunch of shirts with prison bars on the back with "exist to win" written through it and you will seel a bunch.

 

[Comettski_1]

I really think that "Live the Creed" without the "est 1870" is the best option; Live the Creed pays homage to our clubs history plenty, the est 1870 is a bit unnecessary

 

[Portia]

Live the creed seems kind of wanky in itself. Not real happy with any of the proposed.

 

[morell]

Live the creed seems kind of wanky in itself. Not real happy with any of the proposed.

"Taglines" are inherently wanky.

Where on earth did this concept spawn from?

 

[PAFC04]

It would be nice to have "LIVE THE CREED" on the back of the jumper somewhere.

Great tagline...........nothing comes close. (no Punt intended)