Remove this Banner Ad

Email Brian Cook

🥰 Love BigFooty? Join now for free.

Log in to remove this Banner Ad

I sent an email about how I am sick of the overbranding of the "Geelong Cats" rather than the Geelong Football Club and also Footy Full On.

Here is my email:

Dear Brian,

My name is () and I am currently an AFL member with Geelong club support. You asked for cats fans' advice on how the club should best move forward from being good to great, and my biggest concern is the lack of heritage and history we have shown over the past two seasons.

I understand that in the modern day, sporting clubs are becoming increasingly more like businesses rather than merely a football club, but I worry that we are taking the branding of the 'Geelong Cats' and 'Footy Full On' too far, and are turning our backs on the 'Geelong Football Club' and its rich history.

We have been known as the Geelong Football Club for 150 years now, and while it is important that we recognise our mascot, the cat, and it is certainly appropriate for it to be on our new logo, I feel that the reshaping of the club as the Geelong Cats, which now includes everything from the logo to the website to the person who answers the phones for customer service. It seems that on this trend, Geelong will cease to be a 'football club' and turn solely into a brand name.

Furthermore, while 'Footy Full On' sounds fairly professional, it does not seem to represent anything about the actual team, but rather the mission statement. Again, this portrays Geelong as more of a franchise or a business than a football club with 150 years of rich heritage. Personally, if I was to choose a slogan for the club, it would certainly be 'We Are Geelong'. Especially given Tom Harley's premiership acceptance speech, We Are Geelong seems to represent a lot more of the club's history, its club song, and is also relevant to our quest for a premiership.

I'm sure that Footy Full On and the new branding are pretty much locked in at this stage, but I hope that you take this into consideration, for as I understand it, I am not alone in this thinking, and that while the strong mission statement may look good to shareholders and sponsors, to the fans it means nothing more than what ties the players wear. I have no further advice, for I have no doubt that financially, you are the best man to put the club in great stead, but we must not abandon the club's past to move forwards. Geelong must still retain that rich heritage that has kept it going for 150 years, and has sat comfortably with everyone for so long. Only then can we truly move from good to great.

Thank you
Click to expand...
 
sherrthecat said:
I sent an email about how I am sick of the overbranding of the "Geelong Cats" rather than the Geelong Football Club and also Footy Full On.

Here is my email:
Click to expand...
What he/she said.
 
nbarnes81 said:
Great email and very well written. I couldn't agree more :thumbsu:
Click to expand...
Everyone has got their own opinion, which is fine. Personally I agree with the sentiments expressed about 'Geelong Cats' but I have to disagree about "Footy Full On". I think it is a great slogan which reaches across a wide spectrum of footy fans and not just us, the committed cats fans. "Footy Full On" says that we play an exciting brand of footy, that we play a pure brand of footy and that we are not leaving any stone unturned in pursuit of footy excellence. Casual fans or even fans of other teams are more likely to watch us if we are associated with excitement and excellence rather than the insularity of 'We Are Geelong'.
 

Remove this Banner Ad

And I prefer the new one and the new slogan so there you go.

Anyone remember when they tried to bring out an updated theme song in the early 80's?
 
Maybe instead of Footy Full on, they can go for a slogan or campaign about Geelong getting revenge for 2008.
 
Big Nasty said:
Maybe instead of Footy Full on, they can go for a slogan or campaign about Geelong getting revenge for 2008.
Click to expand...

Perhaps something that reflects how a bit of rebranding and a whole lot of bluster doesn't automatically means you've changed the culture of the club overnight.
 

🥰 Love BigFooty? Join now for free.

Geelong Cats 2009... "Same Shit...Differant Year"
Geelong Cats 2009... " Give us money please "
Geelong Cats 2009... " We got Gary Ablett "
Geelong Cats 2009... " Tuff Rooke Tuff "
Geelong Cats 2009... " Good,Great...Get over it "
Geelong Cats 2009... " Good,Great...Get on it "



:thumbsu:
 
Here's a disappointing read: http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/article/2008/12/05/35531_gfc.html

THE Geelong Football Club, one of the world's oldest sporting clubs, is now branding itself as Geelong Cats.

Chief executive Brian Cook confirmed the club could not trade as Geelong Football Club on its official website, a key factor in the change.

"The term Geelong Football Club we can't use on our website as our name, as our address, because it's actually owned by someone else - some time ago, other groups got to that," he said.

"From a branding point of view, we're going to go with Geelong Cats but it doesn't do anything to the official title of our particular football club."

Cook said the change had been phased in over the past year and the club had not received any feedback from its members on the topic.

"None at all (feedback), I think that's probably a significant point, it has been quite seamless," he said.

But several supporters have registered their disappointment with the re-branding on an unofficial Cats message-board.

One user under the name of sherrthecat, claimed he emailed Cook to argue that under the change "Geelong will cease to be a 'football club' and turn solely into a brand name" on one post.

A second blogger known as WILDCAT52329 said;

"Anybody who cares about the club's history should let Brian Cook know. WE ARE NOT THE GEELONG CATS!" the post read.
Click to expand...
 
I don't like the American sounding nature of 'Geelong Cats' as an official title, but anyone who says we are not the Cats as much as we are Geelong, well I'm not sure where thats coming from.
 

Remove this Banner Ad

Remove this Banner Ad

🥰 Love BigFooty? Join now for free.

Back
Top Bottom