Re: Brand strength : Fri Dec 23, 2016 9:39 am  

They also have Charles and Diana commemorative plates on their walls.

[Bulliac]

Re: Brand strength : Fri Dec 23, 2016 10:23 am  

They were 'Northern' for double the time they were 'Bulls', during my time as a supporter, but to go back would be a retrograde move imo. Bully Bully for me!

Re: Brand strength : Fri Dec 23, 2016 10:30 am  

TBF even if they did rebrand as northern everyone would still refer to us as bulls. Same as we always call stadium odsal whatever its current sponsor name is.

Re: Brand strength : Fri Dec 23, 2016 11:03 am  

Think the Bulls brand has a stronger commercial presence than Northern could ever have. Those teams that have re-branded and gone back to tradition did not/have not fully embrace the identities. Wakefield and Hull are recent examples. However at Bradford we did embrace the change and I think dropping it would be a mistake.

What I think it needs is a re-fresh, a spruce up call it what you will. The last owner started this by the new look Bull on the training/leisurewear and I think looking at this would be a good start for the new management team.

That said, they won't have much time before the start of the season. I'd imagine that the shirts are already decided on and this would include the original badge (maybe sponsors too?). Is there really time to get all this changed before the first game of the season?

Re: Brand strength : Fri Dec 23, 2016 11:05 am  

the only reason there was opposition to changing away from "Northern" is because people had over a long time become sentimentally attached to that weird and generic moniker. It has now completely lost any cachet it had, except maybe a faint nostalgic ring for a few. Can't imagine why anyone would ever even consider resurrecting it. Or dropping "Bulls", around which standard the fans have for the last few years faithfully rallied to keep that name alive.

Also, I would imagine some worried faces in the marketing and design operation. How do you draw, design and sell "northerns"?

No, if we do survive, and have to change, then in view of our resilience, my suggestion would be Bradford Tardigrades. Which look cuddly and are rock hard.

Re: Brand strength : Fri Dec 23, 2016 11:14 am  

bullinenemyland wrote:

Think the Bulls brand has a stronger commercial presence than Northern could ever have. Those teams that have re-branded and gone back to tradition did not/have not fully embrace the identities. Wakefield and Hull are recent examples. However at Bradford we did embrace the change and I think dropping it would be a mistake.

What I think it needs is a re-fresh, a spruce up call it what you will. The last owner started this by the new look Bull on the training/leisurewear and I think looking at this would be a good start for the new management team.

That said, they won't have much time before the start of the season. I'd imagine that the shirts are already decided on and this would include the original badge (maybe sponsors too?). Is there really time to get all this changed before the first game of the season?

Apparently shirts are already produced and being held by Isc. Luckily club hadn't paid for them yet so they weren't delivered, meaning administrator couldnt sell them off in his mega sale. Problem might be if some of current sponsors who appear on shirt dont want to continue with new entity.

[Pumpetypump]

Re: Brand strength : Fri Dec 23, 2016 11:59 am  

I can see there may be an opportunity to tweak or refresh the brand somehow, but I don't think going back to Northern achieves much. If the early superleague debacle of Halifax blue sox shows anything, it's that you create a huge rod for your own back with a moniker that is intrinsically hard to market.

Re: Brand strength : Fri Dec 23, 2016 12:18 pm  

Bulls please

Re: Brand strength : Fri Dec 23, 2016 12:58 pm  

mat wrote:

Apparently shirts are already produced and being held by Isc. Luckily club hadn't paid for them yet so they weren't delivered, meaning administrator couldnt sell them off in his mega sale. Problem might be if some of current sponsors who appear on shirt dont want to continue with new entity.

More to the point, would the new owners not wish to re-negotiate a better deal with anyone else, especially as they are not likely to receive any financial gain from a sponsorship that paid up before the administration?

Re: Brand strength : Fri Dec 23, 2016 1:04 pm  

Depends on how badly they want to screw over any possibility of future relations with the smattering of rugby league potential sponsors that still exist, and that had been prepared to pay us money in the past, I suppose.

I don't imagine there's a huge queue of virgin sponsors at the gate, with chequebooks.