For as long as they have been around, I have been a supporter of The Chiefs. When the Super 12 started I was living in Auckland so had to endure being in the home of The Blues - one of the most painfully good rugby sides the world has ever seen. As the likes of Jonah Lomu and Zinzan Brooke et al took the rest of the competition to the cleaners, my compatriots in the Waikato struggled to get going. It was hard work.
Then not long after moving back to the Waikato in 1999, we were lucky enough to win the account to promote The Chiefs and have been preparing advertising and promotional campaigns ever since. It's been a privilege and a real learning experience in the vagaries of sports marketing where all the tools are required - brand promotion, web, direct sales, game day promotions, giveaways, targeted promotions and on it goes. What we've found is that there comes a time in a season when you reach the point where the marketing effort has less and less effect. Many people start to make their choices about game attendance based on how the team is performing. So it's hard when the one part of the marketing equation that has the most effect is the one that can't be controlled.
Quite aside from the advertising and promotional work we've been running, it's fair to say that as a fan my true loyalty has been tested over the years. And while it would be out of the question to ever countenance a move away from my favourite team, I am sure I would have been forgiven for thinking that my unconditional loyalty was a one way street if I was to consider some of the near misses and disappointments of the last few years. Fans such as myself consider ourselves shareholders in the teams we support with our hearts and souls, so we take it personally when the time and money we spend and the sleep we lose is not reciprocated by performances that match potential. And in many ways, while our support and loyalty are incredibly strong, without the big ticket wins the team's grip on our hearts reaches a point where it can get no tighter.
But what a difference a season can make.
As The Chiefs acclimatise to South African conditions and prepare for yet another against the odds win, we can reflect on a season that has been nothing short of magic. Coming off three losses at the beginning of the round robin The Chiefs have swept all but The Bulls before them. Along the way they have further endeared themselves to their legions of fans, while at the same time enlisting erstwhile peripheral supporters who were no doubt waiting to be given a good reason why they should make the investment into becoming a fully fledged fan. Given the style of rugby they play and their no nonsense media relations, they have also become the commentators' favourites, many of whom have dedicated a lot of ink to bemoaning the competition and the lack of x-factor. The Chiefs have been seen to be one of the teams that has set the competition alight, and unlike The Blues and Crusaders who everyone outside of the respective franchise boundaries love to hate, they have captured the hearts of many rugby lovers from other parts of the country.
To add the icing on the cake, after a flat patch post the V8's and a general recessionary environment, The Chiefs have brought a real buzz to town, filling the bars and eateries with fans in celebration mode, and creating a real sense of pride in the region.
As a result of all this The Chiefs brand has gone to a new level and, while it will be start again from scratch next year, they have tightened the grip on our hearts and our loyalty will deepen as a result. It's how it works with all brands when you deliver at every level.
We're in the Super 14 final. Only two teams can say that. One of them is ours. Go The Chiefs. |
