Our jumper

[bulldogtragic]

From the Herald Sun
Western Bulldogs’ Thor-inspired jumper proving popular with fans The Bulldogs Thor-inspired jumper may have polarised fans, but it's flying off the shelves.

More than 100 jumpers were pre-ordered in the 24 hours since the Western Bulldogs announced the distinctive God of Thunder guernsey.

'Flying off the shelves' = 100+ jumpers (so say the Hun).

We have 45,000 members, plus hundreds of thousands of supporters again. 100 or so jumpers bounced off the launch day isn't good news for our CFO. I mean, if the 22 players and 3 emergencies have 3 or 4 each, plus the spares on bench. The team has accounted for more than that already and they're obligated to have them. I hope they're not the 100 or so pre-ordered!

[GVGjr]

I don't call the debate and publicity we're getting from it good at all, it makes us look like an even bigger joke than what we are already. Do people honestly think that we'll get more in the gate because of this, a bigger hit in the ratings or a bump in membership? It's a bit of fun, yeah sure it is but so was AFLX. The same people I see applauding this ridiculous jumper were the same people up in arms about a ludicrous preseason game.

The debate on the forum has been interesting to me. It's ranged from many people being passionately against it, some that really don't care and some that think it's worth trying.
The feedback from most colleagues at work is that for a one off experiment it's not a bad idea

If we have done this to address a significant gap in the merchandise sales budget I get why we have done it

While my preference is always to play in our traditional jumper I can't be too critical if the decision has been largely a financial one. Equally I won't knock anyone who is dead against it.

[Remi Moses]

Gotta say I’ve never heard such a carry on!

[SonofScray]

I am not buying the feedback from the manager of a sports marketing firm, they make a living out of peddling this sort of stuff and while there are definitely merits to it, it's in his interests for people to accept and push for this sort of stuff (I studied marketing/consumer behaviour at uni, so am not an anti marketing person at all).

The quote from the RMIT passes the sniff test, though I think that's been spun a particular way when you could easily use it as an argument against.

Sports marketing in Aus and the AFL industry is incredibly dull and homogenous. There is very little bravery, or innovation. If there was, that thread from Lantern a while ago would be like a bible. As it stands, if you have a people wanting a point of difference or trying to dive into market segments any idea gets a run so long as it is "family friendly" or "for the kids." It's like armour for shit ideas in this space. Everyone wants that segment,

The innovative thing to do would be to position against that trend and focus on other segments. Tell a different story. We were getting close with things like the Western Front, BeMoreBulldog, Danny McGinlay stuff. Quite brash and obnoxious and in alignment with our identity.

Anyway. This jumper and the type of environment with which it comes to fruition can get stuffed. It's no good. If we are doing it, don't give the money to charity. Put it in the coffers and live with the shame.

[Greystache]

If we need to revive our post-flag merch sales we could always try not being you know, shit.

You mean we should try to make watching us play football fun? I can't see it catching on, would you settle for flexible?

[jeemak]

I am not buying the feedback from the manager of a sports marketing firm, they make a living out of peddling this sort of stuff and while there are definitely merits to it, it's in his interests for people to accept and push for this sort of stuff (I studied marketing/consumer behaviour at uni, so am not an anti marketing person at all).

The quote from the RMIT passes the sniff test, though I think that's been spun a particular way when you could easily use it as an argument against.

Sports marketing in Aus and the AFL industry is incredibly dull and homogenous. There is very little bravery, or innovation. If there was, that thread from Lantern a while ago would be like a bible. As it stands, if you have a people wanting a point of difference or trying to dive into market segments any idea gets a run so long as it is "family friendly" or "for the kids." It's like armour for shit ideas in this space. Everyone wants that segment,

The innovative thing to do would be to position against that trend and focus on other segments. Tell a different story. We were getting close with things like the Western Front, BeMoreBulldog, Danny McGinlay stuff. Quite brash and obnoxious and in alignment with our identity.

Anyway. This jumper and the type of environment with which it comes to fruition can get stuffed. It's no good. If we are doing it, don't give the money to charity. Put it in the coffers and live with the shame.

I can see both sides of the argument and kind of straddle each myself. Your second to last two paragraphs have struck a cord with me though, we just seem so bloody vanilla on and off the field at the moment.

Compared to the mountain we climbed and the story attached to 2015/2016, what we've seen since has just been so bloody bland. To me this marketing exercise, however well intentioned, is just bland and hasn't come with an adequate amount of complimentary story telling to build the positioning story - and what we're left with is just an ordinary looking jumper.

This smells fishy to me, almost as if we're being used as cannon fodder to test a premise for refinement later in the season with one of the larger Docklands tenants.

[bulldogtragic]

I can see both sides of the argument and kind of straddle each myself. Your second to last two paragraphs have struck a cord with me though, we just seem so bloody vanilla on and off the field at the moment.

Compared to the mountain we climbed and the story attached to 2015/2016, what we've seen since has just been so bloody bland. To me this marketing exercise, however well intentioned, is just bland and hasn't come with an adequate amount of complimentary story telling to build the positioning story - and what we're left with is just an ordinary looking jumper.

This smells fishy to me, almost as if we're being used as cannon fodder to test a premise for refinement later in the season with one of the larger Docklands tenants.

Give me at least two Good Friday Footy examples to back that last point up. Wild accusations you level.

The points above on bland are so true. Danny making a brash and funny banners needs to stop. And the silly jumpers need to start. If either was a question in the members survey, Danny would be slamming Sydney on the R1 banner with 22 players in the RW&B running through it grinning. We’d all be happy. But not.

[Cyberdoggie]

Oh, and asides from the post premiership drop off in merch sales, surely the club has to look at Asics moving forward - they've produced some horrible looking gear.

At horribly inflated prices.

I can't spend $80 on a micro sized top for my little man.

[Ghost Dog]

100... Hahaha. When you live in China numbers like that seem so quaint.
Printing is so cheap here I might get my own jumper design busted out. Then sign it myself.
I'm so concerned about our backline this is the last of my cars.

[G-Mo77]

'Flying off the shelves' = 100+ jumpers (so say the Hun).

We have 45,000 members, plus hundreds of thousands of supporters again. 100 or so jumpers bounced off the launch day isn't good news for our CFO. I mean, if the 22 players and 3 emergencies have 3 or 4 each, plus the spares on bench. The team has accounted for more than that already and they're obligated to have them. I hope they're not the 100 or so pre-ordered!

We'll all be able to pick up a bargain at the end of season in the clearance bin.

[westbulldog]

The innovative thing to do would be to position against that trend and focus on other segments. Tell a different story. We were getting close with things like the Western Front, BeMoreBulldog, Danny McGinlay stuff. Quite brash and obnoxious and in alignment with our identity.

Anyway. This jumper and the type of environment with which it comes to fruition can get stuffed. It's no good. If we are doing it, don't give the money to charity. Put it in the coffers and live with the shame.

Well said Jeemak

[jeemak]

The innovative thing to do would be to position against that trend and focus on other segments. Tell a different story. We were getting close with things like the Western Front, BeMoreBulldog, Danny McGinlay stuff. Quite brash and obnoxious and in alignment with our identity.

Anyway. This jumper and the type of environment with which it comes to fruition can get stuffed. It's no good. If we are doing it, don't give the money to charity. Put it in the coffers and live with the shame.

Well said Jeemak

Thanks westbulldog…………….but that wasn't my work! SoonofScray wrote that!

[jeemak]

Give me at least two Good Friday Footy examples to back that last point up. Wild accusations you level.

The points above on bland are so true. Danny making a brash and funny banners needs to stop. And the silly jumpers need to start. If either was a question in the members survey, Danny would be slamming Sydney on the R1 banner with 22 players in the RW&B running through it grinning. We’d all be happy. But not.

Was the ridding of Danny an Ameet Bains initiative?

[bulldogtragic]

Was the ridding of Danny an Ameet Bains initiative?

No idea. I was thinking more on this point. Most membership organisations (sports, political, faith etc) go out of their way to do things that make their members happy. I don't get the sense that our wishes as members as important these days. Danny made us happy, so ignore what the paying members want. We love our jumper and all it stands for, ignore us. We'd buy merchandise if it wasn't horrible and by accounts too expensive, ignore us. We want to watch good footy and get our respect back, not happening any time soon.

I get the club has do things like try to get new members and sell 100 jumpers. But surely the existing members satisfaction and pride in our club matters more. Most all membership organisations are trying to keep their members happy, so the numbers don't fall away badly (which many are). Maybe for every one thing many won't like, you'll keep or improve one thing we do like. Balance. But when you take the good, insert the bad, you open some less ironed on members to say this is enough. We don't have enough members to lose.

The question for BAD or Easty, is can you tell us all how many members we signed up between March 10-30 2018 (ie 1,000) and March 10-30 2019 (???). If we don't grow at the same level or better, than this excerise can arguably be a monster failure. If we chased 50% of some jumper sales and be a shiny object to kids, but previous members didn't sign up after the news of this and round 1 in the same number as last year. Then someone better explain for we the members, why. If it's a monster success and new memberships explode, great. I don't see it happening though, right now it's a gamble I wish we weren't betting on.

[The Pie Man]

Was the ridding of Danny an Ameet Bains initiative?

I think this was done before he came on board, but I'm not sure.

I'm also at a loss as to why we'd turf something that was working - makes me think of Adam Simpson's message re: player humility after the Eagles won the flag...he mentioned that you'd see no Eagles players in sunglasses at the family events celebrating the win.

Now I'm not for openly antagonizing opponents fueling any motivations yadeyada - and clearly Simpson's messaging / coaching has borne fruit - but that comment alone just weirded me out. Sunglasses? Really?

My point - Danny's stellar work might've been seen as disrespectful, and we probably didn't want to be that. Which is just garbage, but here we are.