I think this badge perfectly sums up a game at Vicarage Road. Angry for no reason fans with the overblown 1881 selfishly right in the middle of things being ultimately disappointing.
When I went to Berghain in East Berlin, they had a giant 200 ft painting of a mans r3ctum that only become apparent when you went to the back of the dance floor . Perhaps we could follow a similar creative process for the new badge .
I might argue that "...definitive..." isn't the work I'd use. https://www.joe.co.uk/football/the-definitive-ranking-of-premier-league-badges-235607
The amount of **** badges I’ve seen described as “absolutely perfect” and “spot on” concerns me for a fan vote, we’d end up with a god awful badge
Is there some way to limit the vote to those with sufficient aesthetic sensibility? Able to fool the club office into thinking you’re Brian Sewell over the phone?
In Watford and the surrounding area of Hertfordshire there is very little that we can point to and say is 'us'. We are not like Yorkshire, the East End or Newcastle with an immediate local identity. In many ways that's not a bad thing, I think overall we are a reasonably open minded and diverse bunch so if a highly paid Marketing Executive says "Sorry lads, forget the history, it's getting hotter and climate change or whatever means Watford must now be represented by Hornets rather than Stags" my first reaction is to say "OK, if that's the way forward fair enough". What I will say though is that it hurts. You may laugh at me and make fun of me but it sincerely does. Identity and tradition matters to me and although the badge is a small thing in itself, what it represents is much more, and it goes to the 'heart' (forgive the pun) of the matter. Most Watford fans have some connection to the area and those that don't (around the UK and even further afield in India & China or wherever...) will still recognise that the Hart represents where we are from in Watford / Hertfordshire. When I was young I remember the excitement and anticipation of the introduction of local radio stations around the country. Ours was well down the list but what a disappointment in the mid 80's when we got "Radio Bedfordshire!" This morphed a few years later into "Radio Beds with Herts & Bucks" (at least we were second). Finally by the mid 90's we were 'recognised' as "BBC Three Counties". WOW! There's identity for you!! It seems in this part of the world it has always been the way to downplay ourselves. We have always had to swallow hard and accept our place but I am proud to be Watford and I will be sad indeed if the past is just swiped out at a stroke!!!
Have to agree but it will soon be Flying Ant day in Watford. Next few days with a hot Saturday my favourite.
Very good post. As an “outsider” who moved to the area and adopted Watford, I did and do find it very odd that there is a lack of identity in Hertfordshire. The tolerance of others has always been pretty unique and could be down to a lack of passion for the area. The town and south west herts is mainly known for its convenient commuter belt location to London. Most people in the area seem to support London clubs, I believe that it is because the area doesn’t have that identity. I currently live in Suffolk and people here love the fact that they are from Suffolk and support for Ipswich is all over the county, they draw big support from major towns like Felixstowe and Lowestoft. Watford fans are mainly from Watford but the club should tap into several large towns in Hertfordshire. There needs to be a big marketing push to get Hertfordshire’s football fans to become supporters. I think they would be more important to the club than seeking a worldwide identity. A change of badge should have some Hertfordshire reference if they intend to increase support from Herts. The Hornet really doesn’t need to be on the badge.
Unfortunately for Watford and Hertfordshire regarding identity is that to outsiders it is a staging post to somewhere north and away from London. In Pride and Prejudice which is set in Herts, Watford is a place where you change horses. I grew up in Ricky and now live in Watford. In the 60s and 70s (before the M25) the area felt more separate from London. I have always worked in London but much prefer our more rural escape areas on our doorstep and never wanted to live in the capital. As for the badge I really don't mind. Our dilemma is that nationally we are the Hornets but some of our probably older fans still have affection for the Moose, I mean Hart. I think we do need to move forward and Hornets is a unique and strong image (if not ant like!) For the future. Maybe the Brotherhood of Mooses should form, with monk cowls and odd ceremonies for a sad minority that can't move on. They could meet in secret underneath the GT stand I reckon. More worried about getting some CBs in at present.
Hear, hear. I’ve said many times that Watford’s marketing should be aiming to pull local support away from Arsenal in particular, especially at a time when they are not what they used to be.
Yes indeed our catchment area for fans is potentially quite wide. This was recognised by Elton, GT and Eddie Plumley in the early 80s. Becoming a 'Family Club' helped pull in 26 to 28k regularly in the First Division. We marketed ourselves down to Harrow and as far as Aylesbury. This should not be an Arsenal or Chelsea area, let alone QPR or Spuds. We will never have a mega fanbase but building a strong ID in our own area is necessary to keep growing the brand.
Agreed but the problem is Hertfordshire isn't really famous for much. The shortlist: Hemel Hempstead fuel depot explosion Harry Potter Potters bar and Hatfield rail crashes Big Brother Eastenders And maybe the Romans but whatever did they do for us? Watford has Elton, Geri Halliwell and a gap (which isn't even in Watford) and even the Harlequin has changed its name. The Hornet is different, easily identifiable and marketable and to be fair is we're goign to expand out support base we need to look worldwide, not just the south east of England which is over subscribed.
Exactly. Getting 5000 kids supporting WFC in W Herts/SE Bucks is far more important than 50k Chinese who will vanish like snow in springtime when the trophies dry up.
Damn auto-correct. The post wasn't up to my usual grammatical standards, for which I apologise. Its hard with sausage fingers on a small phone.
Watford is also famous for being average, especially from a parliamentary constituency/demographic point of view. For example, in the 2001 general election the Watford voting split was the closest to the national average of all the constituencies in the country. Traditionally it is also considered a marginal seat, and thus also a popular spot for polling. Super exciting!
As someone who works in sports marketing, I think the real issue is that the badge is not clear that it represents Hertfordshire and the conflict with the nickname. I would hazard a guess (and i'd presume Watford have had market research done) that 90% of fans, outside of Watford's fanbase, have no idea why we have a moose-like animal on our badge. I don't think the club would be averse to representing Hertfordshire, but as Meister says - what could that be that works from a branding perspective? There isn't really one, which is why it makes sense to go back to the Hornet.
I agree it does make sense to go back to a Hornet. Despite my avatar currently being a Hertfordshire moose, I bleed yellow and I’ve always been a hornet: Me as an infant: As a toddler: Me courting the Mrs: And as I am - the harmless old duffer of today:
Logical but good brands are based on more than logic. I really hope that the club hasn't wasted money of any of this type of research. If you know the answer already, no research required.
I know several people born and bred in Lowestoft (poor them); they are all Norwich supporters and the biggest cheer this year was not for Norwich's promotion but for the relegation of Ipswich. On the badge. The desire to retain the current design would have more sense if the clubs nickname was the "Harts". As we know the Hornets nickname was adopted when we changed the kit to the gold and black of Wolves and ditched our 80 years heritage of "The Brewers" and the blue and white kit. In the same way that the club, dropped the Hornet, adopted the current badge and added in red to the kit. The whole point of redesigning the badge today is to create a new image. Today they want to leverage more out of the "Hornets" nickname. Forty years ago it was about distancing Watford from the lower division club that Elton and GT inherited, and to make the club image more substantial. They actively destroyed the old identity associated with Bonsor/Furphy/Kirby and Keen by marginalising the hornet and adding the red to the dominant yellow and black. Now we are going back for different reasons with less red and the Hornet is the name and image they want to build around. Both changes were motivated by a desire to change the image of the club rather than building a tradition. Both are about retaining the perceived strongest elements of what is there already to achieve the desired outcome. The club colours and nickname give us a strong differentiation. So it is obvious to build on that and edit out the bits that distract from it. As to local identity and tradition. Last weekend was St Alban day (22 June) - the first christian martyr of England. And quite frankly he should be our English patron saint, not the Turkish interloper St George. The 22 June should be a public holiday in England. Watford was always under the influence of St Albans and its Abbey until industrialisation 150 years ago. While the Borough coat of arms has that link with the cross of St Alban. Today there is very little that links Watford/ SW Herts identity to the dominant cultural force of 1,000 years. St Alban day makes not a single mention in the consciousness of the Watford community. Never mentioned on the WO website, etc. Sometimes you don't build an identity on the past and longing standing historic associations - You just create and build one. But if they are asking i would build the badge design on the stripes of a Hornet, rather than a representation of the body of the insect. Using the dominant palate of yellow and black. I was brought up on the mid sixties Hornet design and the later cartoon Hornet - I like both of those if a representation of a hornet is wanted. I like the Harry the Hornet mascot - But can we agree to have St Alban cross of Blue and Yellow as our away kit please?
