The mind behind cricket’s Hundred on his ‘Prem’ relaunch

Rob Calder anticipates that the Premiership will gain significantly more than just seven letters next season.

The top flight’s chief growth officer, Calder, is responsible for slicing the competition’s name down to just “the Prem” for the coming season.

A new logo, which is an orange shock to reflect the intensity of the action, and new branding promote the physicality, athleticism, collisions, and confrontations on the pitch are included in the change.

The Premiership brand had a certain flaw because it sounded quite corporate and established, according to Calder.

With this new identity, we’re trying to address the issue that it didn’t feel like an entertainment product.

We just need to reframe ourselves a little to ensure that we can reach those large audiences and grow, according to the saying “This league is not broken, it is flourishing.”

Calder has stepped into the octagon in his repositioning of rugby by not going outside the box.

There is a singularity to many of those brands, he adds when you consider the sports that are expanding in this nation, such as basketball, the NFL, mixed martial arts, and mixed martial arts.

Think about UFC, ” There is a real punch to it. We really like the lean forward and the dynamism there. However, we believed we could accomplish it on our own.

Before Saturday’s final, when the new branding was unveiled, there were mixed reactions. These things are frequently involved.

The Premiership is attracting new fans, according to a record 1.26 million television viewers for Bath’s victory, as well as demand outpacing supply for the 82, 000 tickets.

Engaging supporters between the ages of 18 and 34 has increased significantly, and Red Bull’s alleged interest in purchasing Newcastle Falcons would be in line with its similar goal of attracting youth-focused brands.

Calder has only recently worked on it.

Prior to joining rugby, he served as the commercial director for the neon-spattered, slog-heavy cricket format Hundred, which first appeared in 2021 and made more than £500m with the sale of its franchise sides earlier this year.

That constituted a revolution. Calder wants to see evolution in rugby.

He says, “With the Hundred, we were certain that a distinctly new approach would be necessary to reach the next generation.”

When I conducted my research on the Hundred, I looked at rugby clubs to see how they would appeal to younger audiences, and they turned out to be pretty good.

There are some well-known brands with legacy and awareness of those identities, such as Leicester Tigers and Harlequins.

I believe we’re moving forward with rugby at a different level.

Along with the scores, the rebrand will feature more behind-the-scenes footage from the league’s bright, young things and smarter highlights, with dramatic moments like shuddering hits, try-saving tackles, and player-to-player interactions.

Marketing is less important than strategy, but some aspects are equally crucial.

We have to welcome people when they first visit rugby grounds, says Calder.

We need to point out both the rest of the place and where everything is.

“Rugby is probably a little behind some other sports, but we have a lot of fun doing that.”

Calder claims that it’s better to look for new fans than to purchase them. He began his career by promoting beverages for a well-known brewer.

He claims that the industry had a “massive, massive commitment to consumer understanding.”

There was a lot of information about who was buying, but there was little understanding of those outside and why they weren’t playing the sport, which struck me when I first started playing.

“I believe that’s a flaw in sport because there’s a lot of pressure on clubs commercially,” he said. The key is to understand your current audience as much as possible and to get as much of a return from it.

You have these unfortunate kinds of ever-decreasing circles because it’s less common to look beyond that.

This close-up has been captured by Calder.

He claims that The Hundred only became a result of Twenty20 cricket’s improper marketing that targeted current supporters, causing them to turn away from county cricket, rather than bringing in families and new supporters as intended.

Rugby must compete with other sports and other entertainment options in addition. Additionally, it must evolve with society.

According to Calder, “I think families are important, regardless of what sport you’re in,” because more and more families choose to have weekend experiences together.

I have a commitment to looking after my family and I enjoy spending time with my family, though maybe my dad, who lived in that place for 30 to 40 years, would play rugby with his friends or play golf all day.

My two young girls want to attend these events, and I want to make sure they do.

The expansion of that family experience economy is something we have witnessed in women’s football. Rugby should undoubtedly benefit from that.