Edition #8 – Europe Essential to the Brand

Liverpool has a proud history of being a “family” club.  For most of our storied years we’ve prided ourselves in the fact that we had a stronger tie to the family aspect than most other clubs and, especially, our greatest rivals.  Not until the failed take-over by the scumbag pair of Hicks and Gillette did Liverpool have to truly face the fact that the game had changed, that family-run clubs were a thing of the past if a club meant to compete at the highest levels.  The subsequent sale of the club to FSG has reinforced that times have indeed changed and no longer can we hold onto that desire of returning to the small scale of being a family business.  It’s time to move on and grow into a commercial entity if we want to compete for Premiership glory ever again.  And that’s a fact.

Commercial success ensures financial success.  Financial success provides options to the ownership which wouldn’t otherwise be available.  Those options include player investment and, more importantly, stadium investment. 

But commercial success does not come without strategic thought.  As ugly a thought as this may be for some of my Red Brothers and Sisters, Liverpool is a product—that’s just the way of modern football in the global age.  Liverpool sits fourth in world-wide replica kit sales behind the two Spanish giants and Scum United.  This is promising.  The miracle in Istanbul further established, and even redefined the brand, some could argue.  Moments like that need to be capitalized on and, as many Reds know, we failed to do that as a club, further falling behind the Scum as a global entity.

But all is not lost, fortunately.  Liverpool is still one of the biggest clubs in the global market.  Through interests of our main sponsor we are already growing deeper roots in Asia and our presence there will likely only become stronger.  We are failing to reach other markets, namely in the Americas.  In terms of a truly dominant global brand, we fall short of the Real Madrid’s, Barcelona’s and Scum United’s of the world and we have to improve on that quickly.

The Financial Fair Play rules are coming into play.  Multiple factors will impact the relative health of the clubs and no longer will we be able to depend on the deep pockets of our owners to boost our fortunes.  The revenue created from other avenues is what will determine our financial power in the new-look game.  Critical to creating revenue streams is the product’s (in this case, the club’s) brand.  One of the simplest observations is that we simply have to have our club’s name in the spotlight.  We have to be repeatedly exposed to the customer base to remain in the forefront of their mind and we have to be there for new customers to find and be attracted to.  That means we have to be in as many competitions as possible, making this weekend’s loss by Spurs and our usurping them so vitally important.  Tell me you weren't happy to hit 5th place today?!

Even though the Europa League is shunned in some corners and mocked in others, it is a competition we simply have to be in if we fail to reach the Champions League.  It will add another six games, at a minimum, but hopefully more, to our schedule.  That equates not only to more opportunities for television coverage but it also means something much more simple—internet and newspaper game reports.  That means keeping the Liverpool name in circulation.  Repetition creates mind-share; mind-share creates a propensity for favoring the product’s ‘brandness’.  The objective then is for that capturing mind-share of as many old and new fans as possible.

Being in any European competition will help reach that objective, but taking those competitions seriously is just as critical.  With King Kenny in charge we have no concerns with that; he will take every competition seriously. 

Europe is our platform for a return to glory.  If it starts in the Europa League then so be it.  As long as we’re in front of the world’s eye we are on the right course.  With Kenny building a more attractive squad and style of play it will be easier for us to draw interest from the neutral or casual observer.  With players like Suarez and Lucas in the squad we have a doorway into South America and adding players of Asian pedigree (can you say Keisuke Honda, even if we can't spell it?) will definitely reinforce the brand image of an already-loved club in that part of the world.

We are there; right on the doorstep of returning to our historical glory and returning to the platform the likes of Scum United, Arsenal and Chelsea currently enjoy.  Then we can knock the Stupid Drunk Scott right off his damn perch!

Until we meet again,

The Red Yank