Why Kenyan sports get it wrong with their brand strategy

The world over,  branding is considered the cornerstone of a sports institution's identity.

A solid brand strategy comes attached with an array of benefits including a streamline of potential sponsors, advertising opportunities, and customer trust. 

One of the most important ways to create a brand that will be the envy of many is a sports logo. 

However, Joseph Satia Okutoyi, a local sports brand designer, believes many Kenyan sports institutions are yet to grasp the importance of branding in enhancing their visibility and growing to a worldwide level. 

"A great logo must be memorable and simple, one that your target audience can immediately connect to without much explanation. You must also choose a colour scheme that stands out because your logo is what identifies and explains who you are," Satia says. 

Meticulous process

Having worked with different sports institutions for over a decade, Satia knows too well what the sleepless nights one has to spend to come up with a credible brand. 

He has worked with several sports brands and projects including Sports Kenya, AFC Leopards, the 2017 World Under 18 Athletics Championships, and this year's World Under 20 Championships. 

Intellectually speaking, developing an eye-catching logo entails eyes like an owl, which are able to notice the nitty-gritty that goes into creating the final product. 

"One of the challenges we experience as designers is to come up with a clear brief. In Kenya, we are still growing as far as sports branding is concerned and are learning new things. Designing is a process that involves a lot of back-and-forth between the client and designer before you come up with a perfect logo," Satia explains. 

He further advises sports institutions to undertake thorough research rather than brushing up on the process without taking into consideration the intricate factors, which will influence the reception of their brand identity by the public. 

"It calls for an exploratory approach and research into what other brands are doing internationally. Sometimes, clients come up with a brief thinking that that's good enough to be a final product. However, as a designer, it is important to provide different options for the client," he says. 

Satia adds: "Sports clubs need to work closely with designers when coming up with a brand strategy. They need to understand how the various logo designs available will appear on the team jersey, on television, on social media, or even on a website."

Another persistent error local sporting institutions commit is to imitate the designs of international brands. 

Sometimes, they go to an extent of making frequent and wholesome changes to their brand materials, which wrong-foots their target audience and loses their trust. 

"A great logo should ideally remain evergreen and be able to serve you for very many years. If there will be any changes required, it should only be a tweak here and there. Look at, for example, Manchester United and Chelsea whose logos and colour schemes have remained constant for many decades and are synonymous with red and blue respectively," Satia says. 

Thank God for the Internet

Regardless of the sins, local sports institutions make when working on their brand strategy and identity, Satia believes the future is bright for the industry. 

He points out that the Internet and digital technologies have made it possible for designers to improve on their art and craft as far as sports branding is concerned. 

 "There are so many things we used to struggle with, in 2017 that we no longer grapple with, in modern times. There is an evolution in software for design that has enhanced the process and allows for improved products even with minimal skills," he says. 

Furthermore, Satia states that local brands stand the chance of competing against the international ones if they draw inspiration from local heritage rather than work with templates from abroad. 

He cites the example of the design of the medals for the World Under 20 Championships, which was inspired by Kenya's historical features as well as the principle of sustainability. 

"Fortunately, with the designs for the medals and the overall branding, we were provided with a leeway to use local inspiration. We had settled on Mount Kenya, Nairobi City, and the Maasai necklace known as Ngarewa. Finally, we settled on an image of city encircled by the necklace," Satia explains. 

He adds: "Sustainability is an important factor to consider in sports branding. With the World Under 20, what we did was social sustainability where the ribbons for the medals were made by women from Samburu as part of the Ushanga initiative. This allowed them to put something in their pockets while adding to the local face of the championship."

Take the risk 

Upcoming designers would do well to plunge into the deep waters of sports branding as it is an area that still lies fallow as far as Kenya is concerned. 

Satia states that social media provide a perfect platform to showcase different designs although he admits there is a risk of unscrupulous individuals plagiarising your work. 

"Even if a sports club or team steals your work posted on social media, it is an admission that you are a great designer. You can always approach such brands and offer to work for them rather than for them to steal your work," he says. 

Many sports institutions worldwide have majorly amassed millions of followers, thanks to their performances on the pitch. 

However, as Satia explains, creating a great logo, among other brand strategies, is equally pivotal to carving out a unique legacy and worldwide acclaim as far as sports is concerned. 

Hopefully, local sporting institutions will awake to this reality and start embracing designers as a key part of their growth.