Apparently it’s a symbol for a “way of living” that represents the “future of football.”
That’s quite a billing the giants of Italian football Juventus have given its new ‘designer’ club crest, which was unveiled at the sort of glitzy ceremony usually reserved for a fashion show or car launch.
A cast of soccer and celebrity royalty filed into Milan’s Science and Technology Museum earlier this week for an event billed by the club as “Black and White and More,” with three-time Oscar winner and electronic dance music pioneer Giorgio Moroder on the decks.
The marketing blitz that accompanied the new logo boasted that Juve’s “new visual identity turns the sport’s traditional style on its head and sets about blazing a new trail.” The club’s president declared the logo to be “a symbol of the Juventus way of living.”
The two sleek lines, both spelling out the letter “J” with Juventus written above replaces its old badge, a bull on a black and white shield, to represent its traditional colors.
“The new visual identity has been designed to boldly take the club’s spirit into new, unexpected realms,” said Manfredi Ricca, chief strategy officer for EMEA & LatAm at Interbrand, which worked on the crest with Juventus.
Even Moroder, who wrote and produced hits for stars like David Bowie and Elton John, seemed to get caught up in the zeitgeist of the launch.
“I saw the future of music in the 1970s,” said the DJ. “Now, Juventus have seen the future of football.”
The club’s stated aim to is broaden its presence and expand its business operations “through a series of radically innovative initiatives” that not only target fans of the club but also those who might not be interested in football.
‘Change before you have to’
Its not hard to see where this bold strategy has come from — its president Andrea Agnelli used to work in marketing for Ferrari, another world renowned Italian brand, and Philip Morris.
He told the cognoscenti at the launch: “Change before you have to.”
Under Agnelli’s stewardship, Juventus have moved to a brand new stadium, and are set to open the J Village later this year that will house an international school, a hotel and a new training facility.
However, the logo divided opinion on social media. Many fans mocked up the badge in a series of unflattering poses, though others lauded its bold design.
Tennis star Robin Soderling, twice a beaten grand slam finalist, pointed out the similarity to the logo he launched for his website in 2013.
The club will adopt its new branding from July 2017 and hope it can help them compete on a global stage where the English Premier League and Spain’s La Liga has overtaken the Italian league.
Juve are the only club from Italy in the top ten rich list compiled yearly by Forbes, and hope to tap into lucrative markets in Asia and beyond.
Ricca expanded on the grand themes of the launch by telling Juve’s official website: “No club in Europe has so far been able to transcend sport and convey the philosophy behind that.
“If there is one club capable of taking that step, it’s Juventus — the brand is synonymous with ambition and excellence and these are principles that can inspire truly unique experiences.”
