A Melbourne-based start-up formed in 2014 and launched to market in early 2015, SportsPass is a sports membership program designed to create a win-win relationship between sports clubs and associations, their members and retailers. SportsPass provides club members with rewards and discounts to save them money in their sporting life while also providing clubs and associations with a new and often needed revenue source to help fund local and grassroots club and player development.
Project Objective
Build SportsPass from a business model into a strong brand that resonates with consumers, retailers and sports clubs, and deliver a successful launch of the program.
The Brief
Create a visual brand identity for SportsPass that speaks to the benefits of the program, and roll this out across all elements required for a successful launch of the brand and program.
The Process
The Process
As a start-up with a unique offering, Hard Edge met with SportsPass to gain a solid understanding of the business and the program, including its key benefits for consumers, retailers and sports clubs.
The first task was to develop a strong visual brand identity that represented the program benefits. As SportsPass is a win-win for consumers, retailers and sports clubs, it was decided to utilise a plus symbol to reflect the value for all parties.
On completing the logo and brand guidelines, Hard Edge rolled out the identity across core items required for any new business. We then produced a large amount of marketing collateral for SportsPass to pitch the program to some of Australia’s largest retailers and most-loved sports clubs and associations, and to successfully launch the program to the public. Materials included membership cards for all sporting clubs, 12-page introduction brochures, POS packs for member clubs (A1 posters, decals, etc.) and the SportsPass website.
Creative Challenges
As the SportsPass program is targeted across the spectrum of sporting associations — from lawn bowls and ice hockey to rugby league and darts — the brand had to appeal to a very large audience, including both commercial partners and consumers.
SportsPass membership cards for all sports clubs were one of the biggest components Hard Edge developed. These needed to be co-branded with SportsPass and the individual club’s own branding, which at times presented a creative challenge to find a solution that satisfied both parties.
The Result
The Result
SportsPass successfully signed up many of Australia’s biggest retail and consumer brands as partners, including St George Bank, Masters Home Improvement, Ticketek, Oakley, Hilton and Quicksilver. As at April 2015, SportsPass had signed up almost 5000+ sports clubs across Australia representing more than 30 sports and on launch 1.2 million cards were distributed to members.
