• Hello Guest, You'll need to login or signup to be able to post on here.

Tonight's Branding Presentation

Mark Riding said:
Do people see the name 1874 and think Vics? - No for me
Do people see our crest (on a green & white shirt) and think Vics? - Probably it's very very similar.

After three years there's still a fair proportion of the town that don't even know we exist. The only way that changes is if the other lot disappear or we differentiate from them

Also; there was no talk of changing colours last night. All that was discussed was making the black more prominent than the white.
Click to expand...

Good points. Suggested green & black stripes (you can check ;)) from the start, but the (democratic) majority wanted green shirts similar to the original Vics. Don't anticipate this will change now or in the future though .... just saying.

More pertinently there are many posters who are apt to deliver the confused message of, "differentiating" ourselves from Vics in one breath, while falling over themselves to kick the "dying corpse" at every available opportunity, in the next. That too is unlikely to change, but must if we really believe in differentiation. - cue plenty of flak :eek:
 
In the beginning we all wanted to keep that part of Vics that we all loved, the heart and soul. The fans voted on the name to claim the historic link and heritage, the colours to keep the pride of the once great, proud green part of the town and the badge to show we had risen above, been reborn, turning our heads, moving forward in a positive ever glorious direction.

To me the badge is more symbolic to our aims and objectives than anything else and if anything should remain it should be that.
 
What about green black and white vertical stripes if such a shirt can be bought.
The Hibernian type one was also pretty good.
 
Tony1874 said:
They can only get it wrong once Chris! Besides you could take great pleasure in using the extra marketing opportunity to educate the badge blind people of Northwich.
In my opinion the badge is not the issue, its more likely the green and white shirt.
Click to expand...

Actually Tony, I very rarely wear the green shirt, as anyone who knows me post match on a Saturday will testify, I usually wear the all black training top (it doesn't reflect on the viewing screen when I'm filming!) and it is the badge that is recognised incorrectly.
 
My opinion is we need to move on and embrace as much of the presentation as we can. Badge, colours, everything. Let's get more up to date!

We are a new club and must retain our memories in the "74" but only that. We nearly all would have taken the "Victoria" if it was available when we made that momentous decision but now I'm sure not many would have it. We need to distance ourselves from JRFC as much as possible.
 
It was a bit of a surprise when this marketing presentation was introduced but as it went on I became more and more fascinated and excited about the whole thing. I must admit the similarity between the old colours and the new has caused me some concern over the last year with the goings on at JRFC and the association a lot of people make when seeing someone wearing a 74 shirt. At the time when Tony made the famous presentation at Lostock Club I think there was a great desire and a lot of emotion where we were trying to hang on to as much of the old club as we could - including the badge, the colours, and there was even talk of trying to use the name. In retrospect I think this may have been a mistake and we now have to look to the future and what heritage and history we are going to leave for the next generation. We can`t claim the history or name of JRFC {nor would we want to} so why do we want to associate ourselves with the year of formation? We need to grasp this opportunity to bring the club into the 21st century and let the 18th century go. I can see this causing a divide in the fan base and I just hope that we can work this through together without people getting their knickers in a twist and deserting the club. I also think that the reduction in the colour white or removal altogether would also improve our image and move us further away from that other lot. So onward and upward I say and lets unite to drive this great club forward.
 
Apologies in advance, while realising people have other jobs and limited time, can I just confirm that there will be a more in-depth account of Tuesday's meeting at some point soon?
 
Whatever the outcome we don't want to alienate any of our supporter base
Colours must stay but the potential new badge was good
Could we use 2 sets of shirts with different badges so people can take their pick
 
pdw said:
Whatever the outcome we don't want to alienate any of our supporter base
Colours must stay but the potential new badge was good
Could we use 2 sets of shirts with different badges so people can take their pick
Click to expand...
Is the proposed new badge presented at the meeting a done deal or will it be put to the vote?
 
Don't think it was a done deal
Would be disappointed if there was not a vote
 
Getting everyone to agree on potential changes? Now that's a trick!

In depth notes were emailed to Members late last night, thank you to our Society Secretary Rob for his hard work.

Whatever happens, this week YOUR club has been completely honest and open about latest developments and plans. Probably the most open any club has been, so hopefully that is appreciated by supporters.

The work that John, Ash and Ben have been doing is fantastic and will take us to another, professional level. With all due respect to a number of people (me included) there are things we have been doing out of great love and care but we need to adopt their approach now to make our wonderful club even better.

After reading some of these messages, it is clear that opinions are divided on why we are mistaken with our former club. Playing in green with Northwich in our name is always going to confuse people, however those two things will not change. We are also still new and in time, this will wear off.

What we have to do is focus on '1874' as in my experience, these four numbers are not the confusing issue for people. And I do speak to many, many people in our town and know this to be the case. How many really associate 1874 with the formation date of the green side of football. Very few. That's the bit I have to explain when they ask why 1874.

1874 is pretty unique for the name of a football club, how many start with numbers in their names? It is very marketable, quite 'funky' (kids talk I believe) and different. Let's build on that, as it is a good way to show people we are different from anyone else out there.

Sometimes changing what we do may not be easy but will be necessary to ensure we progress. Decisions taken by your Board will be made with the highest regard for 74 supporters and our brilliant club. You all know that everyone in a position of responsibility is a ronk Northwicher and completely understands the issues.

I know the Board will communicate fully in the coming weeks.

Now the 74!!
 
Last edited:
Just read through the ground update notes thus far. Many thanks James (and the rest of the sub-committee) for the update; excellent stuff and most interesting reading. Thanks Rob for the quick despatch of Tuesday's notes.
 
Just finished perusing all the attachments ;):) Very comprehensive; makes impressive reading.
Can I add my thanks to all those involved in the very thorough marketing presentation. Definitely moving in the right direction. :D:scarf:
 
In all these initiatives in consideration of rebranding the football club, I too am of the opinion that there is a strong case for reviewing the club name 1874 Northwich FC. There should not have to be reasons to have to explain why we are named 1874!
The name chosen was, I believe, understandably born out of a desire to maintain links for nostalgic reasons with the fan base heritage of that other club. The team name, not the badge or the colours, is probably the main cause of confusion about the club's identity amongst locals and even the wider population. This name now, for what is a newly created club, clearly can be regarded by some as somewhat disingenuous and even dishonest up to a point. It is also a name which the fans of other clubs seem to like to corrupt in making their disparaging forum comments about us.
Would not names such as Northwich United, Northwich Town, AFC Northwich or even Northwich 2012 perhaps now seem more appropriate and give clearer differentiation with the others?
 
I can see where you're coming from Graham, however I don't think any of the names you have used as an example necessarily solve the problem either. Both AFC and 2012 could also be construed as a direct Phoenix rising from the dead embers of the perennially trouble Victoria, and thus not removing the public misconception/confusion that we are still Vics, with all its unwelcome baggage and values?
 
Tez said:
Good points. Suggested green & black stripes
Click to expand...
From the SKKits website, this is what I think we should be aiming at for our home kits:

Capture.jpg
Capture.jpg
 
Now also read through all the emailed stuff - thanks Rob. Good to have a comprehensive update on the ground planning progress - thanks John.

Given the debate on here around the badge, I was actually expecting to see a suggestion in there. Many of the other proposals/suggestions seem well-thought through.

To me, the branding issue revolves round 'What do people think of when they see the colours/the badge/the name?', and in this the problem is that too many who are not "in the know" make the wrong assumptions - they think they have seen "Vics", and do not question their own assumptions further. If they saw something that didn't scream "Vics" at them at first glance (albeit wrongly), they might be encouraged to stop and think and probe etc.

To me, that is, in descending order, the colour scheme, the badge, the name - it is the green/white shirt which you spot from afar e.g. in the street, not the badge, not the name. Indeed, those not "in the know" are less likely to recognise the similarity with the NVFC badge because they probably won't have enough knowledge to make the wrong connection. Similarly, these people are unlikely to associate the number 1874 with NVFC, again through a lack of background knowledge. That part of the name is primarily for the supporters of the club to be able to preserve their own footballing heritage in a way which they can relate to.

For that reason, I believe it is a priority to get away from the green/white style of the main shirt. The above is an improvement, though I share Tez's view on the green/black vertical striped shirt. The green is preserved, but the style is a departure from the NVFC style. Only my opinion.

A revamped badge I get 100% from the point of view of establishing a modern identity, though not necessarily from the point of view of "the existing one causes confusion" - the confusion comes in my opinion from the background on which the badge appears. I don't think that any of my black + badge apparel causes misunderstandings.

As for the name, I've already waffled on about my views on that. I wouldn't change it. It doesn't in itself confuse outsiders into thinking we are NVFC. And it gives people a ready-made reason to stop and investigate/enquire about a football club which strangely begins with a number. If they do, they discover some of the history, they discover it is a fan-run club with aspirations of community roots. They don't then think 'oh yes, it is NVFC'. The uniqueness of the name is an advantage which should be exploited (as in slide 2 of the presentation).
 
Graham Brown said:
There should not have to be reasons to have to explain why we are named 1874!
Click to expand...

Having to explain should be seen as a positive, not a negative. This should be "It is great to be able to explain ...", because then you are engaging with people, not passing them by and relying on their misconceptions. I revel in any opportunity to talk about 74 when I'm out and about (not that folk down here are going to become regulars at the Barton Stadium!)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top