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Why the Southern Hemishpere Giants transcend International Rugby and the Northern Hemisphere do not.
Professional Rugby is a business, albeit a not very successful one of late but it is a business nonetheless.
In order for a business to survive, it needs to market itself well so that the people consuming its product are constantly aware and appealed at the proposition in front of them.
The economy of sports is no different and very straight forward:
1. More Eyeballs on your TV product = More Advertisers/Sponsors/Bums on Seats
2. More Bums on Seats = More Advertisers/Sponsors/Bums on Seats/ Hamburgers, Beers and Merchandise Sales
3. More Revenue from points 2 and 3:- Bigger Budget for Better Players/ Better Matchday Events/ Better Facilities to grow better homegrown players
4. Better Players/Coaches/Academies and Facilites/Diverse Subsidies into other areas of game = More Winning/ More Games/ More Diverse Fan Base
5. More Winning , More Games/ More Diverse Fan Base = More Fans
6. More Fans = More of Point 1 and 2
7. Commence Cycle Again
Now this is obviously a far too objective viewpoint for a virtuous fan who believes all teams, players, genders and everything in between deserve equal pay regardless of commercial attractiveness or output – but sports is a business and rugby is no different.
So in the absence of money (the current bold yet misguided rejection of an 800mn guarantee from a Middle Eastern Conglomerate being the best opportunity to catalyse this growth) how do we inject life into the fledgling game so that we can start the perpetual cycle of Rugby Growth Economics.
Branding.
The Rugby Marketing EcoVerse is upside down from a sports marketing perspective. While the mature sports markets proceed with : Player First/ Club Second/ Country Last, The Rugby Values brigade insist on the international game superceding any club or individual brand in our great game.
No matter how much a little boy from Gloucester loves Siya Kolisi, hes still not going to wear a Springbok Jersey.
No matter how much a young girl from Rotorua loves Marcus Smith shes still not going to wear the rose on her chest…you get my point.
There has however been a sneaky loophole adopted by our friends from the southern half of the planet as they have endeavoured to de nationalize their brands.
You can be an “All Blacks” fan without knowing where New Zealand is on the map. You can be a “Springboks” supporter without knowing your Khosa from your Zulu commentary. Shit, you can even be a “Wallabies” supporter without knowing what a bloody Wallaby is.
This pseudo-branding of their national teams has allowed the New Zealand All Blacks to become one of the worlds most valuable sporting assets in the pre-pandemic sports market – Global Adidas Deals and Amazon Prime Documentaries and international fame afforded them the budget to finance the playing budget of the worlds biggest rugby stars despite their domestic game failing. This allowed them to then boost the individual brands of Dan Carter (he was a decent player before he became a Louis Vuitton Model) and famous search and rescue pilot Richie Mccaw.
Springboks are now in their purple patch of brand notoriety and the identity that goes with “Being a Springbok” and the flagbearers of this brand being icons and characters themselves – the broad shoulders of the inspirational Siya Kolisi and the somewhat state-like Rassie Erasmus.
The Wallabies are of course a bit behind as they reel from the effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic and the capitulation of their domestic competition – they didn’t have the foundation of an “All Blacks” brand to bail them out but they desperately need to invest in some stars to be their brand ambassadors for this generation. The Quade Coopers, Matt Giteau’s and quietly Israel Folau’s of the world are missing from this next generation.
ASG and Silver Lake recently bought private equity stake in Springboks and All Blacks respectively which steered them clear from the COVID-19 Pandemic would this be a possible venture for Northern Hemisphere “brands”? Without a non-national name I don’t think so.
So where and how does the cycle begin for the Northern Hemisphere and are they all too proper to associate with a brand name – are they just not cool enough?
The England All Whites ….. Meh!
The Welsh Dragons…. Sorry Newport Rugby Fans!
The National Animal of Scotland is the Unicorn….ya never know.
Irish…I’m not even going to attempt!
Steve Forbes of Forbes Magazine Fame said “ Your brand is the most important investment you can make in your business”.
As we look down the barrel of more struggling times for World Rugby – we have to ask ourselves :
Where are the brands? Who are the brand ambassadors? What do these brands even stand for?
If the International game continues to outshadow all domestic brands and individual player brands then the game is doomed.
If the Springboks and All Blacks continue to dominate the International Rugby Brand landscape then all other nations will simply be benefitting when these big dogs come to town.
This rugby economic model is not sustainable and kudos to the nations that became brands but this is a novelty I do not feel is affordable to the Norhern Hemisphere elite and we find ourselves at a point Professional Rugby’s business lifecycle where a change needs to come.
All I know is that Change needs to come and we need to:
1. Invest more in individual player brands (The US Sports Model)
2. Invest more in the domestic competition brands globally (The Soccer/Football Model)
3. Divest the international game and get the dog wagging the tail again with the Domestic Competitions being the premier product in both hemispheres.
4. Do the homework and take the money when its on offer for the international game to create the global season for International Rugby.
5. …….rename Scotland The Unicorns