Being excellent is second nature for the people at Maties Sport. That’s why the Stellenbosch University (SU) rebranding at this entity has been so successful, says Kimara Singh, media and communications manager at Maties Sport. Since joining SU in 2021, Singh and the Maties Sport team have been exemplary champions for the University’s new look and feel.
“It’s been a steep learning curve but a rewarding journey to get everyone on board,” Singh says of her involvement in helping get Maties Sport aligned to SU’s revamped branding over the past two years.
In academia we know correlation is not causation, but it’s tempting to consider the fact that since the introduction of the new SU branding material, our sports teams have excelled to the max. The past year has been spectacular for Maties Sport – from the magnificent victories of our netball and cricket teams at the Varsity Sports festival to the USSA (University Sports South Africa) success where our men’s and women’s hockey teams claimed gold and both our men’s and women’s rugby teams triumphed. All these victories were achieved in SU’s beautiful range of sports clothes adorned with the new Maties Sport logo.
Singh’s responsibilities include brand alignment and she’s been instrumental in getting SU’s refreshed visual elements on billboards around Coetzenburg Stadium, sporting apparel, clothes and the Maties Sport’s website. “In the beginning it was a bit daunting, but luckily we worked together as a team and received a lot of support from the branding team at SU’s Corporate Communications and Marketing,” the sports-mad media manager says. Big matches and athletics meets are often broadcast from Coetzenburg, meaning substantial audiences get exposure to the SU brand.
The round Matie Sports logo went through a process of refinement and apart from SU sports clothes, the logo now also decorates everything from stationery to social media posts and posters, Singh explains. “We tried our best to make sure all staff had access to the right tools. If someone needs help with an email signature or a letterhead, we’re always available to help.” At the beginning of the year, Singh organised a workshop to help Maties Sport staff get to grips with social media and marketing as well as new visual material. “I invited SU’s brands team to come and speak and guide us through the different aspects of implementing brand elements. It was very helpful to understand the brand strategy and how every piece of communication resonates with the University’s essence.”
Here are some branding tips that worked for Maties Sport:
- Having team members who are equally invested in the implementation helps a lot. Knowing what not to use is equally important to the newer material available.
- Having a Teams folder for all your templates that can be easily accessible to your department.
- We have the Pantone® University colours on our wall in the office and this helps us to keep in mind that we are following those colours in all our design elements. Our team also makes sure they use the correct logos when anything goes out and this is always run past the media and communications unit.
- The latest brand manual was also sent out recently and we keep informed on all those updates given by the branding team, such as updated templates.
- Lastly, inviting the brands office to present to your department on the brand roll out but also being in constant contact with them regarding approvals for anything small or big – it may be a tedious process, but it is always good knowing you are on the right track and if not, they’re always willing to assist.
- Visit the SU brand page https://www.sun.ac.za/english/Pages/SUBrandIdentity.aspx for more information.
