REVEALED: Brand shake-up at the Sharks

UPDATE: The Stormers received strong pushback after their ‘rebranding’, now the Sharks are set to ‘refresh’ their trademark.

The revelation came during a media round table in which ‘restructuring’ and ‘refreshing’ were front and centre of the presentation.

Sharks CEO Shaun Bryans, Chief Growth Officer Michael Leslie and coach JP Pietersen fronted up to the media.

It was an informative and revealing session in which some of the most pressing questions were answered.

It was December 5 when the Sharks announced that JP Pietersen would replace Plumtree as head coach in an interim role.

In January, they confirmed that Pietersen’s appointment is now permanent.

There is also a new role for Director of Rugby Neil Powell, who moved to the age-group ranks.

The restructured management system has been redesigned with the fundamental principle of ‘pathway progression’.

That means fewer high-profile signings and more ‘internal development’.

Their recruitment policy produced a mixed bag, but also some highs – such as winning the Challenge Cup in Europe, the Currie Cup and the South African URC Shield.

However, that recruitment policy requires some serious ‘refining’ and that ‘evolution’ is in progress.

‘The ‘restructuring’ of their High Performance System, a series of strategic appointments that saw JP Pietersen appointed Head Coach and John Plumtree walking the proverbial plank.

CEO Shaun Bryans said data and data analytics will be at the heart of their business goals.

“The key focus going forward is alignment, cohesion and culture,” the Sharks boss said.

He added that ‘innovation’ and ‘thinking outside the box’ are some of the fundamental principles going forward.

Chief Growth Officer, Michael Leslie, said that the Sharks’ off-field performances have been much more impressive than the on-field results reflect.

“It is always very clear how we perform on the field,” Leslie said, adding: “The score and where we stand on the leaderboard are there for all to see.

“Off-field is a very important metric of how we are performing as a business.

“It is an area we are continuing to invest in as we work to build a modern media and entertainment sports organisation.”

In the media round table, the CGO revealed that the Sharks have one of the largest average attendances in the URC and are one of the few franchises achieving rapid attendance growth in the last two seasons.

“Leinster’s growth rate outpaced Sharks last season, but only because their matches moved to the Aviva [Lansdowne Road], while their home stadium is being redeveloped.”

Since its launch in 2018, Sharksfest has shown exponential growth with the event selling Kings Park out in 2025.

“On social media, we’re also the fastest growing franchise in the world, sitting second only to Toulouse in total numbers” Leslie said.

The three leading outfits in terms of social media are Toulouse, Sharks and Crusaders.

The Stormers are also ‘up there’, while the Bulls and Lions are trailing somewhat.

“Bringing in the next generation of fans is also a market in which we outperform franchises from other countries,” Leslie said.

“Social media is an opportunity for us to have a direct, 24/7 relationship with our fan base and deliver a commercial success for the franchise.

“The best and most powerful tools we have are our own social media channels.”

The hope is to transfer social media growth into ‘bums on seats’ in the stadium and ‘merchandise sales’.

Shark’s broadcast audience is both larger than average and growing faster than average.

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Leslie, referencing his title (Chief Growth Officer) said increasing the fan base, both domestically and internationally, is a critical part of the strategy for the Durban-based business.

“There is work for us to do, on-field and off-field,” he said, adding: ” Part of that is stoking the pride we have in representing Durban and the province of KwaZulu-Natal.

“It reflects in our desire to connect with the fans.

“We’ll continue to roll that [connecting fans] out this year.

“It is not just connecting with our core supporters, but bringing in new fans.

“In July we’ll be launching a new brand identity,” he said, without revealing in what direction the ‘rebranding’ will go.

“We can’t share the design itself.

“However, we have started to present it to stakeholders internally, including players and staff.

“In due time, we will share that with the media.

“It is a really exciting opportunity, and it will be rolled out through different channels.”

@JanDKrugby
@rugby365com