“Would that which we call a rose by any other name smell as sweet?”
As the renaming of St James’ Park still continues to cause a stir in the media (back pages and front) the uproar with the general North East public makes us question and analyse the importance of a ‘name’.
After 131 years of being known as St James’ Park from yesterday (November 10) the Newcastle based football ground will be known as the Sports Direct Arena. It would appear Shakespeare’s view ‘that it is substance and not a name which matters’ is redundant as the NUFC fans are describing it as ‘alienating’ and ‘damaging to cultural heritage’.
The name St James’ Park has become synonymous with the NUFC football brand as well as the city – a team with whom Newcastle fans are fiercely protective and supportive of – therefore this change by Mike Ashley is not just altering a brand name, but the connotations of a long standing local landmark and public attitude towards it.
So why change such a strong brand image? In this instance the name change appears to be for money raising sponsorship reasons, however many companies such as Exxon (Standard Oil Co.) and Royal Mail (the Post Office) have successfully rebranded to cut ties with outdated images or negative press.
When rebranding, or even establishing a new company brand, it is important to remember the intended target audience, consider all perceptions and connotations of the proposed name and be aware of the values you want your name to stand for with your customers.
Reputation and image is important for any business, and it is essential for customers to be able to establish a relationship with what the brand stands for. Brands grow and gain hard earned equity with their customers, and there’s no getting away from the fact that some brands are emotional – St James’ Park is one of them.
Mike Ashley might do well to remember that a brand identity can take a lifetime to build and only seconds to destroy. It speaks volumes that even the council won’t change the street signs in Newcastle, the St James Metro stop will remain the same and the London 2012 bosses will revert the name back to St James’ Park for the Olympic football.
Just as football fans will stand in the wind and rain when their team is losing, they are fiercely loyal to over 100 years of local heritage and emotions associated with the stadium. We are sure that no matter what it is called, it will forever remain in North East hearts as St James’ Park.
Antonia Edwards PR Assistant (and closet NUFC fan)
