The club’s chiefs have unveiled the Juventus new logo, in efforts to boost their ‘presence and influence,’ as well as their commercial pursuits.
(Image credit: Juventus FC)
Gianni Agnelli, the late owner of the club and automobile industry titan, once remarked, “I get excited every time I see a word beginning with J in the papers.” It seems the club’s hierarchy took inspiration from those words in creating the Juventus new logo, but it’s yet to be seen whether die-hard fans – the Juventus ultras – will come to appreciate the revamped crest, which, in all honestly, lacks creativity.
It is unclear whether the club’s fans participated in the decision and whether a voting process took place that would indicate there was enough support for the Juventus new logo, which is set to be introduced on all physical merchandise and official digital outlets from next season. Right after its unveiling to the public, the Juventus new logo has been targeted with ridicule all over social media, suggesting that fans and other football supporters prefer the traditional crest that has been in place since 2004.
Manfredi Ricca – Chief Strategy Officer for EMEA and Latin America at Interbrand – is credited with designing the Juventus new logo, which was launched in tandem with the ‘Black and White and More’ event in Milan, at the Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnologia Leonardo Da Vinci on Monday night.
“No club in Europe has so far been able to transcend sport and convey the philosophy behind that,” commented Ricca. “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. The new visual identity has been designed to boldly take the club’s spirit into new, unexpected realms.”
Black and White and More.
How our future became reality: https://t.co/T1UgxruBwA
#2beJUVENTUS pic.twitter.com/osQZf1CH8f — JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) 17. siječnja 2017.
Juventus’ official website states that they’re looking to enhance their sphere of influence both in the footballing world and outside with the Juventus new logo, while also ensuring the club ‘expand the business side.’
The Juventus new logo comes merely 15 months after the club unveiled their zebra mascot called ‘J’ – the objective being to help bring younger fans closer to the club by partaking “in a host of activities both at home and at the stadium.” And four years prior to launching the mascot, the Turin side opted for a move away from Stadio delle Alpi to their very own Juventus Stadium – one of only three club-owned football stadiums in Italy.
To add to that, ahead of the 2015/16 campaign the club’s hierarchy decided to break their ties with shirt provider Nike – a relationship they’ve enjoyed for 12 years – in favour of the more lucrative six-year sponsorship deal offered by the American company’s main competitor, Adidas.
The Juventus new logo can easily be viewed as the latest commercial move to make Juventus into a top-notch European club. The commercial aspect is greatly reflected in the fact that nowhere in Juventus’ press release is the word ‘crest’ mentioned, but rather ‘logo’ – reaffirming the greater importance that business plays in modern-day football over an actual club, which is comprised of players, fans and, in most cases, tradition.
But their fierce pursuit of business-related opportunities have been rightly justified, as compared to some other European clubs that boast records when it comes to commercial revenues, but actually lack results on the pitch. Juventus managed to back it up with great domestic success, which has seen them immediately clinch a Serie A title in their inaugural season at the Juventus Stadium (2011/12), and have defended the crown every year since then. There’s only thing missing, and that’s the biggest club trophy of them all – the Champions League crown.
Despite being the most successful side in Italian football with 32 Scudetti – Italian championship titles – La Vecchia Signora has been less fortunate in Europe. They’ve been crowned European champions only twice in their history, with the last one being in 1995/96, and prior to that in 1984/85. There were also EUFA Cup – current day Europa League – triumphs on three occasions (1976/77, 1989/90 and 1992/93), however that competitions is second on the European football pyramid and is deemed much less prominent than the former European Cup and the modern-day Champions League.
Juventus new logo is radically different to the one currently still in use until the end of the 2016/17 season.
(Image credit: Goal)
The Turin side are on course to win their sixth straight title this season, finding themselves at the top of the Serie A table with 45 points, after having played 19 rounds in the Italian top flight. Their main title competitors AS Roma sit merely a point behind them in second position, however Juventus have played one less game than the side from the capital. Hopefully for them, the Juventus new logo won’t disrupt their title ambitions both at home and in Europe.
Last year’s Serie A challengers Napoli are in third with 41 points, and it’s quite unlikely they’ll emerge as serious contenders for the crown once again as the season progresses. That’s mainly due to the fact that Juventus obtained their talismanic striker Higuain – who broke the Serie A record of most goals scored in a single season with his 36 strikes, in the previous campaign – for an Italian record of €90 million last summer.
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Taking into account their immense success in the Serie A over the last five seasons, it’s no surprise the Old Lady is once again the top favourite to win the Italian championship 1/5 (1.20). AS Roma have been on their tails for the past few season, however they’ve always come up short against the Turin side, with them last tasting success way back in the 2000/01 campaign; their odds for clinching the title this season are miniscule 6/1 (7.00), while Napoli’s chances have been dropped down to 12/1 (13.00) odds, compared to last season when they were challenging for the Scudetto.
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