Don’t Be Hasty to Re-Brand, Says Bathurst RSL CEO

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Clubs are often too hasty in rebranding their trading names and should seriously consider whether it’s a smart business move.

That’s the view of Bathurst RSL CEO Peter Sargent, who says he’s previously rejected such proposals put forward by consultants at his Club.

“RSL is the best brand in Australia, that’s my view. I think that clubs need to value their identities and actually work in with those identities,” Peter told the ClubLIFE Podcast in a new episode released earlier today.

Peter says it makes little sense that clubs such as RSLs would remove a brand which has such a strong connection with the Australian population.

“I don’t think it gets any better than that as a business to be able to say what we stand for is our freedom, it’s our lifestyle, it’s the way that we live, the traditions, the sacrifices,” he tells the ClubLIFE Podcast.

“I just think being an RSL club is a cracking good place to be — we need to make the most of that and be proud of our brand and engage our community effectively.”

Established in 1928 when a small group of returned servicemen decided they needed a meeting place, Bathurst RSL has grown to be an integral part of the community with more than 15,000 members.

While it has grown and diversified through the years, its connection with the Sub-Branch and its commitment to veteran welfare has never been stronger — something which Peter says reinforces that the Club’s RSL brand is still as relevant today than it has ever been.

“I think that the brand that we have goes beyond being a brand, it’s actually why the Club was constituted to begin with, it’s our purpose, it’s what we do,” he tells the ClubLIFE Podcast.

“Every Friday morning in our Diggers Bar, we have somewhere between 30 and 40 Sub-Branch members just having coffee — they’re not sitting there having a beer — they’re actually having a coffee, sitting down, having a yarn, catching up and talking about how to engage younger members. And we’ve got younger members coming in,” Peter says.

“I just think that’s really rewarding to see that.”

Click on the link below to hear the full interview with Peter Sargent in the fourth episode of the ClubLIFE Podcast, which is also available via ClubLIFE.com.au, Apple, Spotify and wherever else you get your podcasts.

If you have a suggestion on who might make an interesting guest for a future ClubLIFE Podcast episode, get in touch with the team by emailing [email protected].