Our New Jumper.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Don't like the white trim as I reckon my sweaty, boozy footy sessions are going to make that thing pretty gross. And don't suggest I actually wash it.

I've got the 2016 and 2021 versions as my most recent copies. 2021 was a generous gift, 2016 my own hard earned. I won't be buying 2023, and hope no one buys it for me.

I wonder if they REALLY make money by changing every year? I mean, how many people buy because of the updated design, as opposed to the one they have being too sweat and beer stained and thus would replace it with whatever is the current design?

I'm actually a big fan of regularly changing the jumper (i.e. yearly). Merch is a big business, the NBA do it well and each team has about 62 different jerseys every year, but it just... works.

AFL clubs rarely change their actual design so it's not comparable. I'd like us to be far more creative with our away strip yearly, which is straight garbage.

In general, AFL clubs could do more in this space. A lot of clubs recycle their Indigenous jumpers (lazy).

[MrMahatma]

I'm actually a big fan of regularly changing the jumper (i.e. yearly). Merch is a big business, the NBA do it well and each team has about 62 different jerseys every year, but it just... works.

AFL clubs rarely change their actual design so it's not comparable. I'd like us to be far more creative with our away strip yearly, which is straight garbage.

In general, AFL clubs could do more in this space. A lot of clubs recycle their Indigenous jumpers (lazy).

I'd get it if the strategy was :
1) Consistent, awesome, fan-adored home strip
2) Go crazy away strip and fans will buy the ones that they love
3) A heritage one, an indigenous one etc. Also new each year.

NBA & EPL etc teams play in much bigger markets - both domestically and internationally.

[DOG GOD]

Absolutely horrendous.

[whythelongface]

Absolutely horrendous.

Yep it ain’t the best. Is there time to change the design or is that it?

[jeemak]

I reckon it's a wait until it's seen on TV or in the flesh vibe. Might surprise.

[GVGjr]

Yep it ain’t the best. Is there time to change the design or is that it?

I'm with Jee on this, it's a wait and see it up close for me.

[Grantysghost]

I reckon it's a wait until it's seen on TV or in the flesh vibe. Might surprise.

Same, sometimes they look average until you've seen them live.
I don't mind the strip but the collar does look a little odd.

[mjp]

Focus Group: Look, we have great colours and an amazing base design...I mean, yeah - fine, make some subtle changes if you like...it'll be hard to stuff it up.

Marketing dept: Cool. Hold. My. Beer.

[GVGjr]

Perhaps someone with a marketing background might be able to explain what steps might be considered when tinkering with a jumper design?

I'd prefer a more traditional look like something that BAD suggested earlier with thicker stripes and a bit higher up but I'm just going to have to wait and see this one up close.

[Dogs 24/7]

It doesn't appeal to me that much. It will probably grow on me though.

[SonofScray]

They’ve butchered it.

Quite a feat given the basic design of our jumper is perfection.

I’d actually preferred they do something wildly different than do what they’ve done here.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

They’ve butchered it.

Quite a feat given the basic design of our jumper is perfection.

I’d actually preferred they do something wildly different than do what they’ve done here.

That's the key - keep your 'main/home' jumper traditional, experiment with the rest (i.e. away jumpers, theme jumpers).

Seems a simple concept, no?

[angelopetraglia]

They’ve butchered it.

Quite a feat given the basic design of our jumper is perfection.

I’d actually preferred they do something wildly different than do what they’ve done here.

Agree 100%. They have stuffed it. Can't believe anyone with any kind of sensibility or understanding of brand/marketing would sign off that jumper.

Especially hard to take seeing our President works at Disney who probably understand storytelling and brand architecture better than anyone else on the planet.

[MrMahatma]

Perhaps someone with a marketing background might be able to explain what steps might be considered when tinkering with a jumper design?

I'd prefer a more traditional look like something that BAD suggested earlier with thicker stripes and a bit higher up but I'm just going to have to wait and see this one up close.

It's a tough one without working in sports apparel specifically. In branding you'd typically have rigid brand guidelines that would dictate really clearly which exact colours (so, the exact shade of blue) are OUR colours, and details like line thickness, given they're the key/iconic assets. That said, sports teams tinker all the time so while their logo seems really to be kept strictly as is, the apparel doesn't. That's clearly down to the $ part of the marketing plan, rather than the branding. I can only imagine the brief in the design process would be:

- Must have same "style" - big red & white stripe, don't veer too far from the recent versions.
- Must be DIFFERENT, in some way, (EG: Shade of blue, collar) so that we can sell extras.
- Maybe some aspects are kept consistent (the white of the white, the red of the red?) Maybe they limit changes to 2 features a year? Collar and placement of lines? I dunno.

There's possibly way more thought that goes into it, or indeed, possibly even less thought. "Here's last year's, give us something different, but not too different". They may indeed have the next 5 versions already done and just get the final approval each year to ensure nothing drastic has changed in minds of the approvers.

I wish they'd just mess with the away kit. Keep the home one consistent. If they did a good enough job with the away kit, they'd sell enough of those.

[angelopetraglia]

It's a tough one without working in sports apparel specifically. In branding you'd typically have rigid brand guidelines that would dictate really clearly which exact colours (so, the exact shade of blue) are OUR colours, and details like line thickness, given they're the key/iconic assets. That said, sports teams tinker all the time so while their logo seems really to be kept strictly as is, the apparel doesn't. That's clearly down to the $ part of the marketing plan, rather than the branding. I can only imagine the brief in the design process would be:

- Must have same "style" - big red & white stripe, don't veer too far from the recent versions.
- Must be DIFFERENT, in some way, (EG: Shade of blue, collar) so that we can sell extras.
- Maybe some aspects are kept consistent (the white of the white, the red of the red?) Maybe they limit changes to 2 features a year? Collar and placement of lines? I dunno.

There's possibly way more thought that goes into it, or indeed, possibly even less thought. "Here's last year's, give us something different, but not too different". They may indeed have the next 5 versions already done and just get the final approval each year to ensure nothing drastic has changed in minds of the approvers.

I wish they'd just mess with the away kit. Keep the home one consistent. If they did a good enough job with the away kit, they'd sell enough of those.

Thanks. I can see how they brought in the white collar, seeing that we actually had a white collar for almost 20 years. Do something different, respect the heritage etc. They have just butchered the execution.