It’s been three years since Juventus' controversial logo change but in that time the Italian football club has moved from being the “old lady” of the sport to sitting alongside some of the biggest sporting brands in the world.

While the change came as a shock to some of the fans, it was a smart move that set the club apart from other football teams positioning it as a lifestyle brand and opening up a number of commercial channels as well as licensing options.

There’s a lesson in this for Australian sporting brands and particularly sporting organisations and federations that can be perceived as out of step with popular culture and the way today’s fans interact with sports. It’s a message some local organisations have heard loud and clear.

Take the example of the Australian Open which rebranded as AO with the new positioning having a huge commercial impact. Post rebrand, the event feels more like an entertainment event bringing together sport, music, fashion and food – a much more commercially attractive proposition for brands and fans alike.

By doing away with the established notion of what sporting brands look, feel and act like, organisations under pressure to deliver commercial dollars can open up a host of revenue streams but they can also forge an emotional connection that will help to grow the sport at the grassroots level.

Of course, it’s no easy feat. If it was, more organisations would have done it already.

It’s a matter of merging tradition with innovation. You need to have respect for the past while looking to the future with proof points that show how the brand will change, evolve and attract audiences.

In the coming months and years, we can expect to see more brands in this space taking this on board. The fact is, they can’t afford not to. It’s worth the effort and will be a step-change for many organisations unfamiliar with behaving like a brand in the true sense of the word.