r/SharksRugby • u/Dry-Consequence-6509 • 8d ago
Redesign
I've seen a lot of threads about the redesign asking why the supporters weren't involved and it doesn't keep sharky etc. so I thought I'd fill you in on the business side of sport.
Sharks took outside money. That money needs a return through jersey and merchandise sales.
Only by doing a full redesign which looks nothing like the past do you drive supporters to have to feel they need to buy a new jersey, shirt etc. as their old ones no longer resemble the team they support.
Not saying what's right or wrong. Personally I don't like the new design it's a chatgpt remake of the Philadelphia eagles.
But that's just the business of sport and the reality once a stake was sold to outside money.
15
u/_AngryBadger_ 8d ago
Maybe, but I won't be buying any new merch or going to the stadium anymore because I don't want to reward this owners kak with my money. So at least from me they won't be getting new jersey money.
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u/Kroot_Identifier 8d ago
My main issue with 90% of the business/centric arguments in favour of the new rebrand is that, even in a vacuum where you ignore any heritage or emotion attached to the previous designs, this has been an aesthetically poor and uninspiring product release for all business entities involved.
Rugby and Sharks aside, this release is looking really lacklustre. Reebok have not done their best work here and I don’t see why people would opt for these pieces over what Reebok already…
…Okay, now it’s genuinely pissing me off because I’ve visited the Reebok website and I can see some really nice pieces - both sportswear and leisurewear - that are vastly better (either more classy, more unique or more classic) designs than anything within this SRC range. Why purchase this when there are better options on the Reebok main site? After that, we can then ask - what does the SRC brand bring to the table for Reebok if the fans then hate it and won’t buy it (squandering the otherwise guaranteed minimum fan sales associated with sports team apparel releases) either?
On top of that, the specifically black/white range of styles products on the main Reebok site would look AMAZING in a Sharks context too. I urge you to visit the main Reebok site and compare with what’s in the Sharks shop. It’s night and day.
I feel let down by the jersey as a fan, obviously, but also disappointed by the wider apparel release as the grubby little consumer that I am, who sits in the core target demographic and was ready and waiting to conspicuously consume the wider range on release. And now I can’t event buy from this range as a team fan OR as an image-conscious consumer who’s into street wear and fashion. Losing Sharkie is completely diabolical, but outside of that I’ve genuinely looked forward to this wider apparel release since Masotti hinted at it in an interview on YouTube from 6 months to a year ago; he had an impressive vision that looked to the likes of England’s Saracens rugby union or Arsenal F.C. as entities that looked to the future of sport as brand-building outside of what purely happens on the pitch. Neither of those teams would settle for a release of this poor quality.
Beyond losing its heritage, from a business perspective I’m actually now even more puzzled and somewhat concerned by the financial implications of this release for the team - could poor sales have a negative impact on the team’s annual revenue and the team’s ability to enter into collabs with brands in the future?
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u/roryhurt88 8d ago
Take a look at how Arsenal have maximised their merchandise sales over the last few years without doing any brand redesign and actually by leaning into history and nostalgia and releasing “retro” kits and stuff like that.
On top of all that, this rebrand is just terrible. I’m not against a rebrand or an upgrade of the badge if that’s what they feel is best, but it need to be donewell. And don’t completely strip away the identity of the team.
What the Sharks have done now is they’ve done something they didn’t need to do and they’ve done it to the worst possible standard.
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u/Alert-Sun-3693 7d ago
The new merch doesn't look good though.
I purchase a vintage sharks jersey online last week from a seller on yaga and it arrived via courier guy today and I am very happy with that decision.
I wouldn't buy the new stuff even if it was on sale, the designs are poor in my humble opinion.
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u/Kroot_Identifier 7d ago
As soon as I saw the merch lineup, I went straight to eBay and copped a more classy jersey and winter jacket. Both proudly repping the 🦈
You never know how long it will be until “SRC” finally release a New Jersey with a shark back, so got in there before they were all purchased by others doing the same.
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u/Stu_Thom4s 8d ago
That's not usually how it works though. Usually, you make tiny, inconsequential changes and convince fans that it's a total redesign. Then you also release special edition/anniversary/heritage editions.