{"id":11376,"date":"2021-05-17T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-05-17T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/?p=11376"},"modified":"2021-05-18T10:37:30","modified_gmt":"2021-05-18T14:37:30","slug":"save-the-crew-breaking-down-the-columbus-sc-rebrand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/2021\/05\/17\/save-the-crew-breaking-down-the-columbus-sc-rebrand\/","title":{"rendered":"Save The Crew: Breaking Down the Columbus SC Rebrand"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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As many of us know, rebrands aren\u2019t usually an overnight ordeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But for this soccer club, the brand refresh struck in the middle of the night, causing outrage and feelings of betrayal for fans. This turned into a classic PR crisis for the defending MLS Cup champions Columbus SC, formerly known as the Columbus Crew SC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ll reveal my bias early here: I\u2019m a Columbus, Ohio native and casual fan of this team. That being said, I\u2019m also a PR nerd who loves a good rebrand and even I didn\u2019t like this move one bit. Let\u2019s break down why this brand update missed the mark for MLS\u2019s first team, starting with a quick timeline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Losing control of the narrative early on\u2026<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

According to The Columbus Dispatch<\/em><\/a>, rumors of a potential rebrand started as early as Friday, May 7th<\/sup>. Things quickly started getting out of control before the team finally gave in and rolled out the official announcement<\/a> on the morning of Monday, May 10th<\/sup>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The main problem here is that the leak  provided fans only half of the story behind the rebrand. The new logo, coinciding with the switch from \u201cColumbus Crew SC\u201d to \u201cColumbus SC\u201d moves away from the beloved term \u201cThe Crew\u201d, something that fans are very fond of. Although the team clarified Monday that they still will be using \u201cThe Crew\u201d as a nickname, that seemed to be too little too late, since fans were already clamoring that the club had done away with \u201cThe Crew\u201d altogether.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Out of touch.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are multiple reasons this move seems out of touch. First, the rebrand happened right after winning the MLS Cup in 2020. Teams usually don\u2019t opt for a rebrand when the current brand is tied to very recent success. The rebrand\u2019s timing may be to coincide with the opening of the team\u2019s brand new stadium<\/a> later this year, but despite this, it\u2019s still an odd move to say the least.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another reason this seems out of touch is the lack of listening to the club\u2019s core audience. The Nordecke<\/a> are an unofficial fan group that has been recognized by the club on multiple occasions and even were partly responsible for the #SavetheCrew<\/a> movement, a grassroots campaign to keep the team in Columbus when there were rumors of it relocating to Austin, TX in 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The team presented the rebrand to this die-hard fan group the Saturday before the announcement and according to a statement released by the group, offered \u201cno chance for input.\u201d The Nordecke group said they \u201ccondemn [the proposed rebrand]\u201d and urged the team to reconsider the move. The full statement can be seen below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The #Nordecke<\/a> Statement on the #Crew96<\/a> Rebrand pic.twitter.com\/78K0LGY4MA<\/a><\/p>— The Nordecke \u2b50\u2b50\u2b50 (@Nordecke) May 9, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote>