As in any entertainment business – including pro sports – your products, services, and brands are subject to expiry dates. The old must become new again for continued growth and expansion of the market. On Friday, the league took the next step and unveiled a new CFL logo for a new generation.
A New CFL Logo for a New Generation
At 10 a.m. the CFL news media gathered in Winnipeg, the host of Sunday’s 103rd Grey Cup game, at a conference led by CFL Commissioner Jeffery Orridge.
On the agenda was a speech, a flashy video that highlighted the new and old brand, a new logo for the league, and a new slogan (What We’re Made Of).
TSN’s CFL viewership numbers were down in 2015. Stadium attendance numbers were also down. Orridge said that the league faced many “headwinds” and that a few big sporting events (the success of the Toronto Blue Jays, Pan-Am Games, and FIFA Women’s World Cup) in CFL markets are to be blamed.
I tend to agree that some of the poor showing was due to this anomaly. Another part of me says that mostly speaks of the Argos, whose fate while still at the Rogers Centre was doomed no matter the circumstances.
“While the league has come a long way… it would be foolish and even irresponsible for us to ignore these rapidly changing landscapes and challenges,” Orridge said. “We also have a lot of momentum with new stadiums in place and more on the way, some great, new young stars on the field, emerging technologies and the social dynamic that allows us to reach new fans in new ways and we need to capitalize on that.”
(What do you think of Orridge’s remarks? Let us know in the comments section!)
Fan Reaction
Fan reaction over the last 24 hours has been a mixed bag that provoked some fairly emotional and certainly passionate responses.
A few loved it…
https://twitter.com/mellicummings/status/670250774811639808
https://twitter.com/garrettbillan1/status/670250143845748736
Others were less impressed.
@sportslogosnet wow, way to hide the Canadian identity there. That's beyond terrible. That's turrible pic.twitter.com/KH3VdSS9vd
— Erik Kuhre 🦈 (@Puckguy14) November 27, 2015
@ryanpmaloney @CFL @ticatmitchell video was great. Logo is an atrocity. I could've made it on my Commodore 64 #fail #regression
— Joe Stewart (@SMB0213) November 27, 2015
Some put two and two together…
@ChrisGTweet @sportslogosnet the 3/4 football is meant to represent the lines on a Canadian football pic.twitter.com/9fUKbl0inm
— DarrenInOttawa (@DarrenInOttawa) November 27, 2015
https://twitter.com/kayla_a246/status/670279235064344576
Even players got in on the action…
@CFL Great video. But the new logo is awful. Why would you change the logo that you have on the East/West conference trophies?
— Greg Wojt (@Gwojt66) November 27, 2015
Good Question, Steve
Steve Simmons put it straight to Orridge: “How is it that a video, a new logo, and a new website is going to engage a 30-year old who isn’t currently engaged in the CFL, but is a sports fan?”
Orridge’s response: “It’s going to get your attention is the first thing. By doing something new, exciting, fresh, and innovating it naturally garners attention. The other thing we are doing is that our online application is going to improve. Our website is going to improve. It’s all those other things where we’ll be able to reach out to fans where they live. It’s the people who are non-fans, the next generation of fans, it’s the millennials that are very important to us. We have to do what is relevant to them and play where they are playing. By our multi-platform executions, that’s what’s going to reach them.”
I say, despite all the negative opinion, it takes a while for such radical change to sink in and to grow on people. We’ll have to wait and see. Personally, I love everything about the new marketing tools and I hope others come around eventually.
In Other News
- Commissioner Orridge took some time to acknowledge Thursday night games, a big issue for people in all markets who travel to attend games. He said that they were “some of the highest rated games all year.” That’s certainly good, but the league’s schedules maker carefully and intentionally select marquee match-ups for Thursday night. Those games were highly consumed but also were highly manufactured to be so by the league.Thursday is not a good night for stadium attendees. Most fans go to school or work on Friday morning so travelling in for a game puts a lot of unnecessary stress on individuals, schools, and workplaces. In extreme cases, people just stay home despite their desire to be there. Orridge does not understand this issue yet and someone needs to tell him before he starts calling for Thursday night double-headers.
- When asked about the referees, Orridge essentially said he wants to find the best no matter where they come from. He offered a big maybe to the suggestion of hiring American officials to accomplish this goal. The league has had American officials in the CFL in the past. He added that they will approach the NFL for suggestions, and pointed out that while fans have grown to accept the failure of players and coaches, that fans expect officials to be perfect. That’s not reality.
- The Commish also mentioned that the CFL’s new and much improved website will go live next week. No exact day was provided so stay tuned to your browsers, CFL fans!
