The 268 Podcast: does the West Coast Eagles’ new song hit the mark?

Sunday will mark not only the sole Western Derby of the 2020 AFL season – but also the first opportunity for the West Coast Eagles’ revamped club song to be played in front of a large group of Perth-based fans.

It might be a Dockers home game with a vast majority in attendance Fremantle faithfuls, but Eagles fans will certainly be hoping it’s their tune which blares around Optus Stadium at the final siren.

When West Coast unveiled the new song in February, the club couldn’t have known the COVID-19 pandemic would put the season into hiatus, and that it would be more than five months before supporters en masse got the chance to hear it live. But that’s the unusual world we’re living in right now.

In this episode of The 268 Podcast – recorded before the pandemic reached Australia, yet still very relevant – we explore that new song and how it ties in with an Eagles brand which has also evolved significantly in recent years.

With corporate affairs expert Ray Jordan officially rested, our branding whiz, Purple Art Director and resident Eagles fanatic Adam Elovalis, steps off the bench and behind the microphone to join host and Freo supporter Morgan Ballantyne, and long-time West Coast member, Head of Digital Glenn Langridge.

Does the new song fit the existing brand? Should a song be considered part of branding? If so, what does this song say about the West Coast brand?

“A lot of people when they think of branding, the logo is the big thing they think of,” Adam says.

“While that’s true, a logo is just the face of a brand…and a brand, if you carry that analogy further, is the body and the clothing, the facial features…it’s everything.

“It’s a lot more than just a logo. The song is something the West Coast Eagles have produced, it’s something that’s owned by their fans, and it is very muchc part of their branding.”

You can listen and subscribe to The 268 Podcast on Podbean, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, Spotify, iHeart Radio and TuneIn.

Track listing:

1.40 – what is branding?
2.11 – were the Eagles right to change their song?
3.06 – what a rebrand can achieve
4.14 – the Americanisation of the Eagles
5.29 – Freo’s focus on family
6.19 – the changing nature of brands
7.54 – brands and social media
9.10 – how can a business reinvigorate its brand?
10.29 – stakeholders and branding
12.14 – what Glenn and Adam think of the song
14.58 – the importance of explaining a brand.

Purple is a specialist communications consultancy with market-leading expertise in investor relations, government relations, stakeholder engagement, design and digital, corporate affairs, crisis communications, media training, media intelligence, video production and bespoke content creation.

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• On or off-brand? The West Coast Eagles’ new song
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