The Reading Fightin Phils Re-Branding is a Beautiful Mess

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To be clear, when George W. Bush talked about how "terrorists hate our freedom," he was talking about apple pie, Coca-Cola, and Minor League Baseball. He was talking about giving a cartoon ostrich a bad attitude and making it a team's logo. He was talking about using an "F" with fists as an alternate logo. He was talking about a tough-looking hotdog as another alternate logo. And he was talking about the concept of having two completely unrelated alternate logos.

Terrorists would hate the new Reading Fightin Phils uniforms, and that's why they're awfully amazing (and amazingly awful).

 

What's Amazing

The standard "Home" uniform and everything about Bunbino (including his name and bad attitude), and the anthropomorphized "F" who looks like he's had a few too many and he's ready to mess your world up are great. The feathering of the letters and logos to keep the ostrich theme going is a nice touch. The whole thing, even the components I don't like, is "fun." Sure, it has the slight odor of "branding exercise," but I think families (read: kids) will love this stuff until they need to replace some of it in a few years when the gimmick wears off. Yes, I realize "gimmick" is probably the most dismissive term I could use, but Minor League Baseball's marketing currency is gimmicks.

Home_1

The other "Fightins" uniform:
Fightin_alt_2

What's Awful

The fact that nothing is integrated between the two "Fightins" designs and the two "Baseballtown" designs doesn't help things. Essentially, the away uniforms are just a hodgepodge of branding, as if Brandiose, the marketing firm paid to realize this re-design was given a "things unique to the Reading Phillies" bulleted list, and simply wrote "OK" next to each item. The away uniforms saying "Baseballtown" instead of "Reading," because it apparently "resonates" (more on this later) with fans in other cities when Reading is the visiting team, is ridiculous (in a bad way). The "our color scheme is every color" color scheme is the worst kind of compromise. Why isn't the "Fightins" solid blue jersey navy instead of "Iris Blue?" Implying there's anything "classic" about either of the "Baseballtown" jerseys is painful; they're just a mess of kitchen sink uniform design, which, of course, might be not unreasonable for a minor league team.

Away_1
Black_alt_1

Ostrich

You. I don't like you.

The Ostrich. If there had been some historical moment where there was an ill-advised and poorly planned petting zoo at a pre-game event in Reading and something ostrich-related happened (mass bitings, the infield being torn apart in a turf war between two competing ostrich gangs, a first baseman getting kicked in the head, etc.), sure, play into that history once enough years have passed, and it's "funny" instead of "civic embarassment." Tying the semi-primary logo to the admittedly ridiculous (in a good way) crazy peanut vendor is a stretch. I actually liked the concept of the logo/mascot more before I read about its inspiration. I hate those damn birds. (I prefer my flightless birds cute and cuddly, thank you very much.)

[If the Reading Phillies ever institute an ostrich race as between-innings entertainment, consider me to be the first volunteer.]

 

What Straddles the Line?

The name. I need to be fair here; I was concerned that anything other than "Phillies" would be completely absurd and simply wrong. "Fightin Phils" is about as good as it could possible be… if it's considered necessary to make a change. I don't love that the official name is two abbreviations, and teams with long names, such as the Diamondbacks, have simply abbreviated the name on jerseys to address the obvious spacing concerns, but, oh well. Their press release establishes that the team will be known as "The Fightins," though the actual success of the name will be determined by whether fans take it up or just continue calling them the "Phillies." The fact that they claimed the re-branding would help the people who apparently think they're in Philadelphia when they pull up to a 9,000 seat stadium… in Reading… is disingenuous to the point of being insulting to anyone in earshot.

Much more, including general thoughts about their re-branding and a Press Release Takedown (PRT? Kyle, can you make this a recurring thing?) [editor's note: done], after the jump.

 I sit here conflicted. Simultaneously, the Reading Phillies (I guess more accurately, the "Reading Fightin Phils") published a press release filled with corporate marketing speak and prominent pimping of the fact that they will have "the most on-field wear in the minor leagues" as if that's somehow an accomplishment and not a business decision while also playing into the legit family friendly (and affordable) reality of AA baseball. It gives a severe feeling of 2+2=5? seeing the phrase "celebrating their brand stories" when one of those stories is Bunbino, an anthropomorphized hotdog (presumably "with attitude") whose name was provided by an 11 year old kid who won "a 20-person picnic at the Reading Eagle Pool Pavilion… and a box of 100 delicious hot dogs courtesy of Berks Packing" for her winning entry. Seriously, what's more American than winning a box of locally packed meat products? That's not a rhetorical question, and there's no sarcasm there. Really.

Beyond that, I'm not sure how much I should care about whatever Reading is up to. I haven't been to a game there since the early 90s, I don't follow Phillies prospects closely enough to be familiar with their roster, and I have no interest in watching big name MLB players' rehab starts. I have this idea that "Phillies" is the right name for the team, but I can't back that up with anything other than the fact that when I was a kid, I really liked going to games there, and they were the Phillies. The only foul ball I've ever caught was at a Reading Phillies game when I was 9. It was a diving grab on the concourse; I scraped my knee. It was awesome. I still remember that. I don't remember any specific games I went to at Veterans Stadium during that same era. Not a single one. But I remember that Reading Phillies game. That's the emotional connection to brands that companies strive for, but can't just pay a company from San Diego to generate when given a bulleted list of "things that kids like at the stadium." These aren't necessarily good reasons to keep the "Phillies" name, though I'm sure I'm not the only one thinking along these terms.

There is some choice corporate nonsense in the press release, though there are some revealing details if it is read between the lines. Highlights are below.

"Our
relationship with the Phillies is stronger than ever and the Fightin Phils is a
unique way to enhance our ties with Philadelphia even more," said Fightin
Phils General Manager Scott Hunsicker. "The Fightin Phils reaffirms
our bond with the Phillies in a creative, unique way."

 

This is the first quote from Hunsicker in the press release, and is in the "if we say something enough times, it makes it true. Ignore everything else we're doing" mold. The way to "enhance ties with Philadelphia even more" is to not change the team name from "Phillies" (or "R-Phillies") to anything else. Again, in fairness, the new name could be a lot worse.

The Fightins' new name is highlighted by an ostrich logo that symbolizes the feisty bird that is now indigenous to Reading because of the Crazy Hot Dog Vendor. With its fists ready for battle, the new ostrich logo represents the fighting spirit of the franchise, both on and off the field.

 

That's not what "indigenous" means, even in the funny/ironic/loose way for which they're aiming. "Familiar" is the word they want. Also, what exactly is the franchise's "fighting spirit… on and off the field?" Seriously, what does it mean for a baseball team to have a "fighting spirit off the field?" Do the players in Reading have a "tough guy" reputation? That's not a rhetorical question. Anyone in Reading know something we don't? Are their players banned from local bars?

It will be the first time in the franchise's history that the team will feature an identifiable mascot. The logo is also the first in professional sports to feature an ostrich as its mascot.

 

Don't feature these as accomplishments. Were fans missing an identifiable mascot? Another team uses a biscuit as a mascot; they win the "unexpected mascot inspiration" prize.

"When we decided to look at our franchise, we felt that we needed a mark the spoke to families since being a family destination has been paramount to our success," said Fightin Phils General Manager Scott Hunsicker. "Our former mark didn't speak to those families and kids-something our new mark definitely does.

 

This is counting your ostriches chickens before they're hatched. Consumers decide if brands "speak to" them, not the people paying (and getting paid) to come up with new ones. Go ahead and rationalize the money spent on it, but don't congratulate yourselves yet. It's tacky.

"Our analysis showed us that Baseballtown resonated across all metrics," said Hunsicker.

 

This means absolutely nothing… but sounds great. What were the metrics? Whether the term "Baseballtown" evokes positive feelings? Were they expecting a different result? It's crazy that this language is from the same organization that included 100 hotdogs (from a local company!) as part of a prize for winning a branding contest.

On top of its new name and logo, the team will have the most on-field wear in the minor leagues when they take the field in April. 

 

Again, this is not an accomplishment. The use of the term "on-field wear" instead of "uniforms," "jerseys," and so on is a nice call-out to the fact that a portion of this is merchandise-related. "On-field" is the lingo used in the marketing departments for selling this stuff. "We're no longer going to be selling 'hats' and 'jerseys.' We'll be selling 'on-field wear.'"

Of course, in all fairness, how much money is there in AA merchandising? I guess the answer to that is "enough," but these aren't evil corporate overlords lighting last year's unsold jerseys with $100 bills. Even the order form for getting yourself one of the four jerseys includes a note that you get to be on the field for the National Anthem at the first game in Reading Baseballtown. 10 year old Dan would've thought that's the coolest thing ever… then he would've spilled mustard all over it.

The fact that I'm sure that if I called the number on the order sheet, I'd be directly connected to a human being speaks to the odd juxtaposition between the internet and the old timeyness of Minor League Baseball. 15 years ago, I (or any other jackass on the internet) wouldn't even know that the Reading Phillies were getting a "re-branding," heck, it wouldn't even be called a re-branding, and there certainly wouldn't have been a press release using the word "metrics." Beyond that I don't even know how I could've bought their merchandise other than with a visit to their stadium.

So, is their re-branding a success? I guess one may need to be from Reading to really answer that question. I have no connection to the team anymore. As an outsider, the "Baseballtown" motif seems forced. Is it? I don't know. Would their fans prefer their uniforms to read "Reading," their hats prominently showing an "R" instead of a "B?" Does "Baseballtown" actually resonate with their fans more than the city's name itself? Maybe it does. That doesn't excuse the generally ugly "Baseballtown" uniforms, of course, especially the awful black and blue pixie league softball top. But, they got a lot of things right, too. The "F" logo is unique and basically says "Minor League Baseball and proud of it" as opposed to "we're a lesser version of our affiliated MLB team; we're a cheaper version of them!" like using the "Phillies" name or an "R" in the style of the Phillies "P" would. New name: pulled off admirably with an extremely high degree of difficulty. The pinstripe jersey is a borderline masterpiece and uses some neat fabric technology to showcase its history. That attention to detail is to be commended. Bunbino: awesome. The ostrich… well, let's see where it is in 6-7 years. I'm not the target audience, and maybe kids will latch onto it. I'll reserve my judgment; importantly, it could be worse.

On the whole, the comments above showcase the root of the issue. The "Baseballtown" items are completely separate from the "Fightin Phils" aspects. Making that worse is that the "Baseballtown" uniforms leave much to be desired– colors, typefaces, even their inspiration. Keeping up the marketing-speak of the press release, that's sending a mixed message with your branding; notably, they're not being marketed as the "Baseballtown Fightin Phils." Why couldn't "Baseballtown" be kept as a a patch on the sleeves on jerseys with either "Fightin Phils" or "Reading" on the front. Make a trendy rounded logo with "Baseballtown" around the perimeter integrating the Phillies "P" and even Bunbino opposite the "Baseballtown" copy. Easy. Fundamentally, the whole "branding story" ends up less than the sum of its (many) parts. "Everything" is never the right answer to "what's the best part of our brand?" The gap between "Fightin Phils" and "Baseballtown" is so wide that I can't even say the whole thing is good or bad. There are items I like, but the items I don't like aren't even part of the same team's uniforms. As a branding exercise, this gets a thumbs-down. As a uniform redesign, the "Reading Fightin Phils" gets a thumbs-up, the baseball team of "Baseballtown" gets a thumbs-down.

Video via La Salle's Sports Talk Philadelphia and Dave Grzybowski

 

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37 Responses

  1. The F logo on the hat would be cool if instead of the Ostrich fist they had a baseball. I went to college in Reading and went to numerous games and I must say, Crazy Hot Dog Vendor annoys the heck out of me. Might as well have a logo with the Tooth Fairy who dresses like she works at Al’s too.

  2. The only thing I like is the punching F but overall, this is a terrible idea. I couldn’t help but notice that the team took away the ability to comment on their FB page. They have been getting killed for 2 weeks now, ever since they made the announcement that they were “re-branding”.

  3. Wow that’s actually pretty awful. I feel bad for the guys that have to wear that disaster all year.

  4. They need to dump every logo except the F, and destroy all evidence that the last two Jerseys had existed. The F could use some work itself, but as it stands it’s good enough and much better than the Ostrich or hotdog. If the hotdog must exist, make him a mascot and keep it off apparel.

  5. I don’t know… I kind of like it. It’s a minor league baseball team. The whole thing is predicated on getting fans out and having fun. Who cares what the logo is or whatever. It’s ridiculous. All of minor league baseball is ridiculous.

  6. I guess since I’ve never attended and never will attend anything in shithole Reading, I really don’t give two shits?

  7. Should never include in a team name any kind of adjective that describes the kind of team they think they are… see “Ducks, Mighty”

  8. You pretty much hit the problems head on. The main issue is that all of this is forced at a time when the R-Phils were enjoying success by most appreciable measures. A poll in the Reading Eagle (local newspaper) had an 87% disapproval out of 5000 or so votes. Not good.
    People liked the Phillies name (which ironically doesn’t appear on the front of ANY of the jerseys). People weren’t complaining about the lack of a mascot. The front office could’ve updated the jerseys (yes, the red pinstripes are awesome) without up-heaving the whole brand. 47 years of tradition and affiliation are GOLD in the minors, and they just threw it out – without a solid reason why.
    The “Baseballtown” motif is beyond me. Why this became a primary brand identity is ridiculous and only adds to the brand confusion. And let me tell you, there is certainly brand confusion. Is the ostrich a “Fightin” or a “Phil”?
    I still don’t know if I should call them the Reading Fightin Phils, or the Reading Fightins. Or the Baseballtown Bunbinos. Or the Baseballtown Weinies.
    I think I’ll just still with Reading Phillies.

    1. I’d Prefer if They went Back to the damn Trains. Trains. Trains for Everyone.

      Everyone who’s gone to a Phillies Game probably Has a R Symbol Train hat. Trains. Reading. Before Reading was shit on by the Malls and the White flight and turned into a Drug Den.

      I’m not being Racist. White people still live in Reading, and it’s not that.

      I’m not Saying that. People of all races do drugs. White flight just left the economy disadvantaged and uneducated, which allows drugs to take hold

  9. Phewwww, good thing the target market isn’t 20 some 30 some dickbags from Philly who would never put up gas money in lieu of beer money to go to a minor league game in Reading anyway. This campaign woulda been a huge failure. Families with kids in the area go to the games guys, kids like the crazy hot dog vendor and the cartoonish hotdog and ostrich. The kids also don’t take part in surveys done by the reading eagle. The rebranding is dead on for the intended market, families with kids.

  10. I kind of like the new uniforms. Kyle just keeps knocking them because of his beef with the Fightins website (prompt auto response).

  11. Calling this a “mess” is being kind. This is an absolute train wreck. It’s like someone wanted to have a perfect example of every single thing NOT to do when re-branding a team. There is no continuity whatsoever between logos or jersey treatments. What the hell is “Baseballtown”? No one on the road gives a damn about that. If you’re going to use such cheesy schlock, at least do it on the home jerseys. The away jerseys are not only hideous, they’re not even RPhils colors. Whoever lead this project should be fired immediately. Hire a competent branding firm and start over, guys. This is just embarrassing.

  12. Hey candy from the oak..why dont you go make me a fuckin sandwich, just so I can ejaculate my green sludge on it and shove it down your throat with a sword, because you don’t belong on this website. You tell women to get off this site because youre a flagrant, offensive, demonic and disgusting faggot that sucks your dads dick you fuckin gay fag. Back in the kitchen you worthless cunt. Also, what do you do during the day when you’re not blathering on here? I bet you jam thumb tacks in your moms hairy dry cunt and fuck them with your unprecedentedly small boner. Seriously, I troll in between commercial breaks and on commutes you fuckin mongrel, go eat your brown diarrhea…by the way, when I anally penetrate RHEA HUGHES tonight with my galant 14 inch erection, I’m gonna refer to her as you. Then in gonna clip my gnarly, brown, dried out fungus ridden toe nails and feed them to her mixed with a tube of krazy glue. After that I’m going to jerk off because I’ll still have a dick, you worthless infected scrotal wart. Go fuck yourself when you’re done fucking your little brother, fag.

  13. To honor the name change, the Reading Phillies hired Meech. His first order of business was shutting down the website.

  14. ANGELO, shut up you stupid fuckin dego, how about you bring me all the white women in your family so they can worship my black dick cause that’s all white women are good for, the best part is you white cunts just sit there and let us fuck your women. Angelo, fact is you are a small cocked Italian pussy fart

  15. Yo Kyle. I know it’s a tall order given the state of Philly sports, but can you post something with a positive spin?
    I’m tired of reading about how shitty everything is.

  16. Hey, Xu assistant, what are you saying it’s over. How to do? You can not hurt, but I was a gun fight, and this time is that you invited me to dinner. Beforehand and only you will know that I am Great Wall Hotel appeared, and now I suspect that you want to kill me collusion killer! was simply trying to erase that sum three million in compensation, and I tell you surnamed Xu, no way! let you go tonight, Ma Haitian hotel off clothing, etc. I get there. Otherwise, the court tomorrow we see! You think you will find the killer? I is not mud pinch! Let’s see libretto donkey wait and see!

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