NRL national anthem flip-flop: Brands have to take a position to be culturally relevant

Industry Contributor 4 Nov 2020 - 2 min read

NRL national anthem flip-flop: Brands have to take a position to be culturally relevant

By Anthony Gregorio, CEO - Saatchi & Saatchi Australia

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Tags: Marketing Social purpose brand purpose Anthony Gregorio Saatchi & Saatchi NRL

The recent decision by the NRL to ban the national anthem being played at the State of Origin series, only to be overturned in a matter of hours, underlines the difficulty in trying to navigate cultural issues to the benefit of your people and brand.

Key points:

The NRL decided to not play the national anthem before this year’s State of Origin series.
The decision was in part an acknowledgement that indigenous players refuse to sing the anthem due to specifics lyrics not being appropriately representative of their contribution to the cultural heritage of the country.
The ARLC chairman, Peter V’landys, was contacted by the Prime Minister, Scott Morrison and the decision not to play the anthem was subsequently overturned.
V’landys says the NRL’s initial decision to omit the anthem from the State of Origin series “was never about politics”.

The decision to initially suspend the anthem from being played at the State of Origin series, I thought, was a bold strategic decision by the NRL.

Often besieged by controversy, mostly due to off-field incidents, the NRL has often bungled the reaction to serious breaches of behaviour to the detriment of the game and its perception amongst fans. To be fair, their record towards supporting their indigenous players has been better, which includes education towards indigenous culture.

So, when they made the decision that no doubt was about taking the pressure off indigenous players so they could focus on the game, it seemed the best call on many fronts. A line in the sand (when did we start playing the anthem on games that weren’t internationals?), a show of support and inclusion towards a minority group of their own community; and let’s all just enjoy one of the best spectacles in Australian sport.

And then it blew up.

It highlights that across culturally sensitive areas, brands need to take a position, especially when forced like the NRL here, and have a solid narrative and stick to it. Regardless of your political leaning, the NRL was likely to be lambasted by either side of the political divide. Play the anthem; indigenous players protest by not singing or taking a knee. Don’t play it, and it becomes a controversial news cycle. You can’t win. Either way the NRL loses.

And therein is the rub. You can never please all of the people all of the time. And what’s even more damaging than taking no position is back-flipping almost immediately on your perspective when pressure is applied. Brands have to make a call on what is important to them to get the respect of consumers. The world has changed, and social issues will impact your brand, whether you want them to or not.

If you don’t stand for something, you stand for nothing.