(New Poll) The Washington Commanders Brand 2.0: Beer Drinkers and Hail Raisers

[Primus Porcus]

That hype video had me cringing so hard I thought I might turn inside out or just implode into the void 😆

Seriously, calling out "identity" at the exact moment they're showing a spear...something that's been erased from the team's identity...is either next-level irony, unintentional trolling, or a hopeful sign for the future.

The fact that I can't really tell, I think, speaks to just how muddled the messaging is.

Also, agree that if we're three years deep into calling ourselves the Commanders and the team is still pleading its case and explaining to fans what a Commander even is, then the marketing has failed.

That last line falls a little short imho. Teams are always posting about 'what it means' or 'what it is.' It has nothing to do with length of term. The 2025 Buffalo Bills Hype Video literally starts out with 'What does it mean to be a Buffalo Bill'




IMHO that's one of the 'worst' brands in the NFL as the Logo is a Buffalo (the city they're from, not the mascot) and the name is derived from someone who was back in the wild west, who has zero representation on the current team.

 

[SkinsGuru]

Agree... I'm a hardcore Redskins fan, it's hard for me to accept the new name. I'm doing the best I can. Trying to find something I can get behind and support

lol . . . its hard to do . . . my "girlfriend" had me take this 16 personalities test . . . and at the end, it said my personality type is: Commander . . . lol . . . this is about the closest something has come to giving me an opening to cheer for the name . . . still use Redskins 99.99% of the time.

 

[Conn]

Some of this is going to depend on and it'll be interesting to see how the " new " throwbacks are received by the younger ccrowd.

They won’t be “throwbacks” for long, the reports are that those will become the permanent white uniforms starting next season (and I imagine a re-do of the burgundy is next). So they’ll just be our regular uniforms

 

[Conn]

That hype video had me cringing so hard I thought I might turn inside out or just implode into the void 😆

Seriously, calling out "identity" at the exact moment they're showing a spear...something that's been erased from the team's identity...is either next-level irony, unintentional trolling, or a hopeful sign for the future.

The fact that I can't really tell, I think, speaks to just how muddled the messaging is.

Also, agree that if we're three years deep into calling ourselves the Commanders and the team is still pleading its case and explaining to fans what a Commander even is, then the marketing has failed.

It’s really not ambiguous or muddled at all. It’s a Roman spear, they showed Roman legionnaire pauldrons, columns that scream Roman Coliseum, other Roman-inspired background sets (walls, etc.). It’s clear the direction they’re taking the brand.

We just happen to have a spear in our background with the old name, so you’re interpreting it as confusing. But the message they’re sending is clear

 

[formerly4skins]

IMHO that's one of the 'worst' brands in the NFL as the Logo is a Buffalo (the city they're from, not the mascot) and the name is derived from someone who was back in the wild west, who has zero representation on the current team.

I think the difference to me is that at least "Bills" has the weight of like +65yrs of history behind it.

"What it means to be a Bill" benefits from historic context that they can lean into to show exactly what they think that looks like.

"What it means to be a Commander" OTOH is 3 years of history where you've had some sucess on the field...but, failed at branding the team, saddled an entire fanbase with a terrible name chosen by a sex-pest owner, and gone all in on it because a hot rookie QB sold a bunch of jerseys.

Love this team, but Commanders is always going to feel like a shined up turd to some of us.

 

[formerly4skins]

It’s really not ambiguous or muddled at all.

To me, 3 years in, deciding....hey, why don't we try leaning into a Roman theme feels muddled, ambiguous, and confused.

Is a Roman based Commanders theme who we are now?

...I couldn't tell you.

 

[Riggo44]

To me, 3 years in, deciding....hey, why don't we try leaning into a Roman theme feels muddled, ambiguous, and confused.

Is a Roman based Commanders theme who we are now?

...I couldn't tell you.

Well, to be fair, Harris has owned the team just over 2 years, they hired Mark Clouse this past December, so he's been on the job not even a year.

 

[Riggo44]

It’s really not ambiguous or muddled at all. It’s a Roman spear, they showed Roman legionnaire pauldrons, columns that scream Roman Coliseum, other Roman-inspired background sets (walls, etc.). It’s clear the direction they’re taking the brand.

We just happen to have a spear in our background with the old name, so you’re interpreting it as confusing. But the message they’re sending is clear

I dunno, have you tried reading into every possible "easter egg" and "reference" and decipher any and all possible meanings?

 

[Spearfeather]

They won’t be “throwbacks” for long, the reports are that those will become the permanent white uniforms starting next season (and I imagine a re-do of the burgundy is next). So they’ll just be our regular uniforms

I hope so, and that rumour has been out there. And, if they do that, that would open up a slot for another new alternate/throwback, because as I understand it, a team can wear an alternate/throwback up to four times a year but it doesn't have to be the same one. Seattle for instance has two throwbacks now. One colored, and one white.
My hunch also is we will get new burgundy jerseys next year, possibly tied in with Riggins number retirement ( After Riggins number is retired, I would think our number retirement would be done for a while.) Tying Riggins number in with new burgundy jerseys in the same way they did with Monk's, this year.

November 2nd can't come fast enough.

 

[formerly4skins]

Well, to be fair, Harris has owned the team just over 2 years, they hired Mark Clouse this past December, so he's been on the job not even a year.

I hear you...I have hope for the Campbell's Soup guy. At least he's a legit branding expert from a very well established corp.

But, I was serious in my question...is a Roman based Commanders theme who we are now?

I have no idea, and it doesn't seem like the team really does either. Feels like "Commanders" is such vacuous BS that they're just throwing related themes at it to see what might stick.

 

[SkinsInSATX]

To me, 3 years in, deciding....hey, why don't we try leaning into a Roman theme feels muddled, ambiguous, and confused.

Is a Roman based Commanders theme who we are now?

...I couldn't tell you.

I get you man. It's like in the movie, Stand By Me, where they're around the camp fire trying to figure out what the hell Goofy is lol!! 🤣

 

[Conn]

To me, 3 years in, deciding....hey, why don't we try leaning into a Roman theme feels muddled, ambiguous, and confused.

Is a Roman based Commanders theme who we are now?

...I couldn't tell you.

That’s fair, I can’t tell you how to feel. I feel like I’m picking up what they’re putting down, but it is without a doubt *new* so we’ll see how heavily they lean into it

I would think they’d need to rebrand and dress Tuddy the hog mascot differently if this is the definitive direction…and I’ve seen no indication that’s happening, so who knows. Maybe it’s more muddled than I’m arguing! It’ll be weird if Tuddy is still a helmeted modern military hog. He needs to be a legionnaire with a centurion helmet to sell the Roman angle imo.

 

[Primus Porcus]

I think the difference to me is that at least "Bills" has the weight of like +65yrs of history behind it.

"What it means to be a Bill" benefits from historic context that they can lean into to show exactly what they think that looks like.

"What it means to be a Commander" OTOH is 3 years of history where you've had some sucess on the field...but, failed at branding the team, saddled an entire fanbase with a terrible name chosen by a sex-pest owner, and gone all in on it because a hot rookie QB sold a bunch of jerseys.

Love this team, but Commanders is always going to feel like a shined up turd to some of us.

Kind of hard to establish 65 years of history in 3. Not sure what the alternative would be. Like was mentioned above, THIS ownership group didn't select the name, and the branding was well under way by the time they even officially got approved to be the owner. We have no idea what efforts was made to change the name again, if it was even truly an option. If you believe it's a polished turd, that's fine, but it's at a minimum an inherited one.

This is essentially only their 2nd offseason in a league that has branding and sponsorship involvement themselves. Clearly with the Super Bowl era throwbacks, the decision makers understand quite a bit. If there is anything we know about the NFL, EVERYTHING takes time. There's votes and changes because of how many things are effected by things as little as adding stripes. Nike has to be involved because of Uniforms. Anheiser Busch is involved because they're the Official Beer Sponsor and they put out collector cans. Fanatics is involved because they sell the gear. Riddell and other Helmet companies get involved because they supply helmets. All of these companies have endorsement contracts with the NFL so officially licensed gear has to be signed off on from all sides. 'Branding' doesn't simply happen. The Ravens changed their logo 2 years after they became a team.

I also don't know that they're going to come out and have another 'unveiling' of what we are. The brand is going to be developed over time, and this might just be a step in how it's communicated. I don't think we're gonna see Harris have a presser ever say "We're now adopting the Roman Commander as our brand."

Why are the Packers the Packers?
Why are the Browns the Browns?
Why are the 49ers the 49ers?


To your point... 65 years of history to create a 'brand' and i've never seen a Packer, Brown, or 49er included in any hype video.

 

[Riggo44]

is a Roman based Commanders theme who we are now?

Maybe. See what they build on it in the coming days.

 

[Faithful Fan]

I still resent the name change, and I believe we should have opted for the fan favorite Redwolves, but given we’re stuck with Commanders, I think the newer branding is pretty good.

I like the connections to the past, the burgundy and gold, the use of “Hail,” the “Super Bowl era” throwbacks, the spear, etc. I also appreciate that they are no longer being shy about airing our old name and logo in historical footage.

The Greco-Roman theming makes sense, it works with the neoclassical architecture of the city, our colors, and our name. A hoplite is not an Indian brave, but it is cool, especially if it gives an excuse to bring back the spear helmet.

I would still like to see them fix a few things. The first verse of the fight song needs improvement, I prefer we say Manders instead of Commies, and I agree with the concern the branding is currently muddled. That said, the people working on the brand are showing good sense.

 

[Spearfeather]

Why are the Packers the Packers?
Why are the Browns the Browns?
Why are the 49ers the 49ers?

Do you really not know the answers to these ?

 

[Primus Porcus]

Do you really not know the answers to these ?

No i do know the answer. But the reason is no more clear to those than if you look at us and see 'Commander.' None of those names claim a specific 'thing' relating to their 'brand'.

Packers are named because the name of the company of the original sponsor was Indian Packing Co.
Browns are named after the original owner
49ers are named after gold miners.

 

[Commander PK]

 

[formerly4skins]

No i do know the answer. But the reason is no more clear to those than if you look at us and see 'Commander.' None of those names claim a specific 'thing' relating to their 'brand'.

Packers are named because the name of the company of the original sponsor was Indian Packing Co.
Browns are named after the original owner
49ers are named after gold miners.

Totally get what you're saying, but i think the difference is that names like the Packers or the 49ers have had decades to marinate and they’re more than just mascots or logos....they're foundational parts if the league.

Who knows, Commanders might get there one day, but right now...having lived the history to get where we are...it just gives me buffed and polished turd vibes.

 

[RedWolf]

It’s really not ambiguous or muddled at all. It’s a Roman spear, they showed Roman legionnaire pauldrons, columns that scream Roman Coliseum, other Roman-inspired background sets (walls, etc.). It’s clear the direction they’re taking the brand.

We just happen to have a spear in our background with the old name, so you’re interpreting it as confusing. But the message they’re sending is clear

I agree. I think they will tie the DC romanesque architecture into the new stadium design, as well as our identity as a team.