SportsPower Brand Standards

Brand Standards

SportsPower Brand Standards Document

Welcome to the SportsPower Brand Standards. We have been in business since 1978 when a small group of stores joined forces to leverage the power that comes from working as a group. That small group has grown to over 100 stores nationally and we are now recognised as the largest independently owned Sports and Recreational Goods retail brand in Australia.

Since we came together the consumer and retail world has changed significantly and every store now has a national audience via online channels and digital communications. With that comes a need to maintain consistency of brand messaging for consumers and improve the professionalism with which we present the SportsPower brand and supplier brands and products.

SportsPower is a true partnership between suppliers, members and the ARL Support Office. That simplicity and mutual benefit is the glue which creates this brand house, buying group and marketing engine. It creates unique value for all trading partners and the customers that they serve.

Above all, we are proud of being Your Local Experts. This is our DNA – it is what makes us different, and strong. Please share this book with your staff and your business partners. We all have an obligation to live our brand and do so consistently, with total commitment.

The SportsPower brand has a long and proud heritage and is one of your most valuable assets.

As a Member of ARL and custodian of the SportsPower brand, you have the right to use the SportsPower Brand Marks. Brand Marks are defined in the ARL Articles of Association, that you as a Member have signed up to, as;

…the trademarks, logos, colour schemes, trade names and business names of the Division which are owned by the Company and which each Member will be permitted to use pursuant to these Articles.

With that right comes great responsibility and a need for focus and discipline. To protect a brand, consistency trumps everything. This document is your guide to effectively utilize the SportsPower brand marks and assets to elevate your store communications.

Brand Marks

Brand Marks

Wordmarks

Brand Name

SportsPower

Our Brand name is to be written;

+ with a capital S and a capital P in all instances, in any communications from Member stores.

+ as a single word

+ with no space between Sports and Power

SportsPower is correct

Sportspower is incorrect

Sports Power is incorrect

sportspower is incorrect

Positioning Tagline

All great brands stand for something. They find a unique position and they build on it at every opportunity. At SportsPower we are clear what we stand for and won’t deviate from this.

For active Australians, of all ages, we are the largest national sporting goods retailer which delivers truly personal service at a ‘local’ level. At SportsPower, the person who runs the store, owns the store, and lives, works and plays in their local community.

At SportsPower we are Your Local Experts. We understand your needs.

Your Local Experts

Our positioning tagline is to be written;

+ in sentence case with capital letters at the start of each word.

Logos

Logos

Logo History

In 1978, a group of individuals had the foresight to see an opportunity and the courage to go for it. Eight independent sporting goods retailers got together to form a buying co-operative called ‘Sports Star.’ Their idea was simple, operating as a group offered greater advantages than trying to survive as individual retailers.

So successful was this new strategy that rapid growth in membership followed, and the co-op was renamed ‘City and Country Sports’. In 1985 to assist with marketing, it was decided that all members would brand their stores the same thus SportsPower was born.

The evolution of the brand has continued with refinement over the years including the launch of a larger format store offering in 2016. SportsPower Super Store has been created to meet the changing needs and expectations of the market and our customers.

The continued marketing of the brand has successfully established SportsPower as the largest chain of specialist independent sporting good retailers in Australia.

Logos

Rules on visual identity are required to protect the integrity and consistency of our brand and our registered legal Trademarks. Minimum clear space around the logo is always proportional to the ‘cap-height’ of the SportsPower wording.

Brand positioning line: The Your Local Experts tagline is not part of the main SportsPower logo. It is a tagline that can be separated at ARL’s discretion and would normally be applied and placed on store exteriors and interiors, and advertising.

The SportsPower Visual Identity uses specific brand font and typography for all applications.

The specified brand colours must be applied as directed, without variation or exception.

SportsPower Primary Logo

Colour Monotone

SportsPower logo without tagline - inside of box around wordmark must always be coloured white.

SportsPower logo without tagline must only ever be used with solid colour behind.

Colour on Red background

Clearspace

X = 50% of the cap-height clearspace

Rules on visual identity are required to protect the integrity and consistency of our brand and our registered legal Trademarks. Minimum clear space around the logo is always proportional to the ‘cap-height’ of the SportsPower wording.

coloured background

White on Red or dark

Blue on White or light coloured background

Black on White or light coloured background

Logos

SportsPower Tagline Lockup Logo

Colour

SportsPower logo with tagline - inside of box around wordmark must always be coloured white.

YOUR LOCAL EXPERTS

YOUR LOCAL EXPERTS

Clearspace

X = 50% of the cap-height clearspace

The Logo - What NOT to do

Monotone

SportsPower logo with tagline must only ever be used with solid colour behind.

YOUR LOCAL EXPERTS

coloured background

YOUR LOCAL EXPERTS

Rules on visual identity are required to protect the integrity and consistency of our brand and our registered legal Trademarks. Minimum clear space around the logo is always proportional to the ‘cap-height’ of the SportsPower wording. Our logo is never to be altered or distorted in any way. Elements of the logo should never be removed, changed or added. These are examples of how the logo should never be used.

White on Red or dark

Colour on Red background

Blue on White or light coloured background

Colour on White background

Black on White or light coloured background

Incorrect colours, background or elements added. Stretched

100% Local Stamp

The 100% Local Stamp is intended to be used as a secondary brand statement as a watermark effect on store exteriors and in some instances, interiors.

It is used to reinforced to the audience that they are supporting a small local business in their community, not a large corporate business. It is one of our differentiators in the market place and we should be leaning into regional Australia’s parochialism and community mindedness.

C 32

M 91

Y 73

K 37

Pantone: 188C

RGB: 130 37 46

HEX: 82252e

100% Local Stamp usage guidelines

Angle: 10 degrees rotation.

Exterior circle can be trimmed for graphic effect - do not crop text.

Maroon on Red

White on Maroon

Red on White

Social Media Avatar

It is recommended that all SportsPower store maintain the CURRENT SportsPower digital ‘SP’ logo as Profile Pictures on both Facebook and Instagram. This will boast professionalism, brand consistency across the group and uniformity when a consumer is searching ‘SportsPower’ across social media platforms.

Supplier Logos

Supplier logos should only be used with the approval of the SportsPower support office and the brand.

Current supplier logos will be available via ARL Central, however please contact the Support Office to obtain the latest version of a Supplier Brand logo that is not available through ARL Central.

Every attempt must be made by a Member to use the most current supplier logo in any execution.

Physical Store

Physical Store

Colour

They say don’t judge a book by its cover, but that’s exactly what shoppers do when choosing stores to go into. Your storefront is the first thing customers see. Your exterior sets the expectations of what they’ll find inside, plus they can learn about your brand just by looking at your storefront.

There are a number of elements and messages that should be incorporated in your Physical store branding. MEDIA

Where possible your store exterior should be SportsPower Red. This differentiates it from other stores around it, is eye catching and is in keeping with our brand colour guidelines.

There may be restrictions on painting entire buildings red with local council restrictions however where possible red should be used as the base colour for walls or awnings.

Any variation from SportsPower Red to external paintwork must be approved by the ARL Support office.

Exposure to the elements can fade or cause deterioration of external paint. It is recommended that paintwork is refreshed every 6-8 years to keep the store looking fresh and attractive to customers.

Physical Store

Primary Signage

MEDIA ASSET TYPE STANDARD

Primary Signage Trademarks, Logos

SportsPower Primary Logo

The primary store sign must be the current SportsPower Primary Logo or SportsPower Tagline Lockup Logo as directed by the Company

The current SportsPower Primary logo (refer p.8) or SportsPower Tagline Lockup Logo should be the biggest and most identifiable element of your store frontage. It should be the current Primary logo as directed by the ARL Support Office to ensure that the media consumers see containing the current logo reflects the branding on the outside of our stores. This tells the consumer they are in the right place.

Your Local Experts – Brand Positioning Tagline

If not used in the lockup logo, our consumer positioning of Your Local Experts should be an additional element sitting in close proximity to the SportsPower logo.

Physical Store

Secondary Signage

MEDIA ASSET TYPE STANDARD

Secondary Signage Logos

100% Locally Owned Stamp

Any signage in addition to the Primary Signage must only use approved logos and assets as made available by the Company. These logos and assets are subject to change from time to time.

A key message for our consumers is that your store is 100% locally owned and operated. It differentiates us from corporate retailers and talks to the local part of our positioning. A stamp has been developed that can be placed on the store exterior of your store.

Physical Store

Secondary Signage

Supplier Brand Logos

A key element externally is the prominent display of supplier brand marks. Consumers buy adidas, or Asics, or Kookaburra, they do not buy SportsPower so we need to tell them what we stock and what is important to us.

Choose the supplier marks you wish to display and ensure they are positioned with equal size and prominence using only the monotone (black or white) version of the brand mark.

Physical Store

Secondary Signage

Fin Signage

Where you have a sign underneath the awning above the footpath, the Primary SportsPower logo should be used wherever possible on the red background.

If a small blade sign is used then you have the option to use the SP Avatar where space is restricted.

Physical Store

Secondary Signage

Welcome and Store Specific Logo

Having the word Welcome above your doorway is a friendly way to greet your potential customers as they walk in the store. Using this in conjunction with your store specific logo provides a more personal touch and says to the customer “Welcome to SportsPower {Location}, we are Your Local Experts”

Digital Media

Digital Media

Ensuring that we have a consistent style and message at every store, with every online communication and with every customer interaction will help provide strong brand recognition and exceptional experiences with every one of our brands.

Online Business Listings

MEDIA

ASSET TYPE STANDARD

Store Name Trademarks, Logos, Business names

Links Trademarks, Logos, Business names

Websites & eCommerce

If a Member maintains a listing on any online service such as Google Business Manager the name of that account as presented to the viewer must be in the manner and construction as directed by the Company.

Directive is Brand then Location. e.g. SportsPower Ballarat, Toyworld Claremont.

Any brand marks used to embellish online business listings should be those supplied by the Company and approved for use by the store.

If a Member maintains an account on any business listing website that uses Company owned Brand Marks, any links from the listing must point to the Company owned Brand website. Members may link to their Store Landing Page on the Brand website.

MEDIA ASSET TYPE STANDARD

Website URLs Trademarks, Business names

Websites Trademarks, Business names, Colour schemes

eCommerce Trademarks, Business names, Colour schemes

Members are not permitted to own a URL that contains the Brand Name under which they operate the premises or multiple premises.

Members are not permitted to maintain a website that utilizes any Company owned marks including but not limited to trademarks, logos, colour schemes, trade names and business names.

Members are not permitted to own and operate an eCommerce enabled website or sell via any online channels where Company owned marks are used.

Digital Media

In line with ARL’s Single Website Strategy for ARL brands, any ARL owned brand mark is unable to be used in any URL for a Member owned and run website. This is to ensure that consumers that visit your site do not confuse it with the national brand website, and so that any promotional pricing activity on your owned website is not seen by consumers as promotional pricing activity applicable to all SportsPower stores.

Examples

www.sportspowerlocation.com.au

IS NOT acceptable

www.sportspowerpb.com.au IS NOT acceptable

www.yourlocalexperts.com.au IS NOT acceptable

www.locationsports.com.au IS acceptable

Member owned and operated websites

Any website maintained and run by a SportsPower Member cannot use any brandmarks owned by ARL with the following exceptions;

+ The store name containing a brand mark may be present when identified as a Click & Collect location for the Member website

+ The store name containing a brand mark may be present in Contact details at the footer of a homepage

+ The store name containing a brand mark may be present on a Locate us or About Us page

eCommerce

Members are not permitted to own and operate an eCommerce enabled website or sell via any online channels where Company owned marks are used. This includes any social media channels bearing Company owned Brand Marks.

Any Member owned eCommerce store must have its own social media channels to direct traffic to that website.

Members are not permitted to direct traffic from a social media or digital communications platform that uses ARL owned brand marks to an owned website or ecommerce platform.

Social Media Pages

Social Media Pages

Consistency and uniformity are some of the keys to the strength of our brands and the more we “put them out there” the stronger they will get.

The image of your store is no longer limited to your town. With social media and digital platforms your store image is visible from anywhere in the world. With suppliers and consumers able to view us anytime, anywhere, consistency is more critical than ever.

Social Media Account Names

MEDIA ASSET TYPE STANDARD

Social Media Account

Name (Handle) Trademarks, Logos, Business names

Store Details and Links

The following is how you should be setting up your social media pages so that we all reinforce the SportsPower brand and make it stronger. MEDIA ASSET TYPE STANDARD

Social Media Links Trademarks, Logos, Business names

Social Media Content

If a Member maintains an account with any social media platform the name of that account must be in the manner and construction as directed by the Company.

Directive is Brand then Location. e.g. SportsPower Ballarat, Toyworld Claremont.

Multi-Brand store are not permitted to group brands together in Social Media handles. e.g SportsPower & Toyworld Oakleigh. Each Brand must have a separate socialmedia account even when operating from the same premises.

If a Member maintains an account on any social media platform that uses Company owned Brand Marks, any links from the account must point to the Company owned Brand website. Members may link to their Store Landing Page on the Brand website. MEDIA ASSET TYPE STANDARD

Social Media Content Trademarks, Logos, Imagery

Members are responsible for their own content on their own social media channels. Content must be relevant to our business as a sporting goods retailer, not be offensive or discriminatory and not bring the Company into disrepute.

Social Media Pages

Facebook Page Setup

The below is an example for a fictional SportPower Oakleigh store Facebook page.

Your

Campaign or Branding Banner

This is where you add your local flavour and personality with:

• Your LAM activity

• Your local posts

• Your news stories

Social Media Pages

Profile Picture

MEDIA

ASSET TYPE STANDARD

Social Media Profile Picture Trademarks, Logos If a Member maintains an account with any social media platform the Profile Picture of the Member account must be an approved image as supplied by the Company

The profile picture across all social media is generally viewed on mobile devices and as such is very small. Imagery and small copy is wasted in profile pics so we have designed the SportsPower digital logo device. This logo should be used on all profile pics across all store social media.

You do not need your store name in your profile pic because it always appears alongside your store name when viewed.

Header Picture

MEDIA

ASSET TYPE STANDARD

Social Media Header Picture Trademarks, Logos, Imagery If a Member maintains an account with any social media platform the Header Picture of the Member account must be an approved image as supplied by the Company. These include the SportsPower Logo, Store Specific Logo, or current campaign header image

Facebook Header Image example - January 2024

Social Media Pages

Instagram Page Setup

The below is an example for a fictional SportPower Oakleigh store Instagram page.

Mandatory profile logo

Your stores details

Digital Promotions

Digital Promotions

With digital media being visible from anywhere, any paid advertising online can encroach on another Member’s protected advertising regions. Care must be taken to ensure any digital promotion is not executed in the territory or region of other SportsPower members, just as you would not distribute catalogues in these areas.

Google Adwords

MEDIA ASSET TYPE STANDARD

Google Adwords Trademarks, Logos, Imagery, Business names

Social Media Advertising

A Member is not permitted to use Brand Marks as part of creative for Google Adwords or any other SEM activity. Where Brand Marks can be used as a search term on search engines and other generative language platforms, Members are not permitted to bid on Brand Marks as part of marketing campaigns.

MEDIA ASSET TYPE STANDARD

Social Media Advertising Trademarks, Logos, Imagery, Business names

Digital Promotional Areas

MEDIA

Digital Promotional Areas Trademarks, Logos, Imagery, Business names

Any marketing, advertising or promotion done by a store on social media channels must utilize the Store Specific Brand Mark and as directed and supplied by the Company. Members are not permitted to use Brand Marks where it may be reasonably assumed the promotion is for the national Brand and not an individual store.

Members are not permitted to promote their store in defined areas as directed by the Company that contain premises operated by other Members or ARL. These areas may change from time to time as the ARL Member network changes.

Measures must be taken to exclude post codes and regions that other SportsPower Members operate in from any digital promotion or advertising.

Email Marketing

MEDIA ASSET TYPE STANDARD

Email Marketing Trademarks, Logos, Imagery, Business names

Email communications from Members to their customers must use the approved Store Specific Brand Mark as supplied by the Company.

Digital Promotions

Store Email Addresses

MEDIA

ASSET TYPE STANDARD

Store Email Address Trademarks, Logos, Imagery, Business names

Any consumer facing contact email details must utilize the Company supplied email address (location@brand.com.au).

This email address may re-route emails to another email address however correspondence with consumers must be done from the Company supplied email address solely.

There is nothing worse than emailing an enquiry off to a store and receiving an email from back from some obscure address. In today’s climate we need to ensure that any correspondence that is customer facing is clear in where it is coming from. Your email address should be reflective of the brand and your store so your personal email isn’t going to cut it anymore.

All stores should use their specific store email address for all customer correspondence, a SportsPower email address is available to all stores as part of their membership fee;

Email address: oakleigh@sportspower.com.au

Displays as: SportsPower Oakleigh

Your email signature says a lot about you and your store and forms a part of the expected standard of your store. The use of our logo in your email signature should follow the brand guidelines. eg. Don’t stretch, change colour or distort it. See example below: