Global sports agency Performance54 rebrands to ‘54’ to drive innovation

Global sports agency, Performance54 has rebranded to ‘54’ signalling an intent to drive more forward-thinking initiatives.

The adoption of a new brand strategy and identity, represents the agency's passion for pushing the edges of conventional wisdom through creativity and innovation.

The rebrand to ‘54’ reflects both the bold founding principles of the company and asserts its mission to be a catalyst for positive change across sport. 54 symbolises the attitude and philosophy of the business, which is underpinned by a never-say-die approach in pursuit of perfection.

Jed Moore, 54 Co-Founder and Group Chief Executive advised “we are living through a paradigm shift in sports. Emerging new formats, frequent changes in consumption patterns and fan behaviour, displacement of commercial rights, and the role of tech in unveiling previously unseen horizons, are causing stakeholders across sports to reevaluate and shift gears to course correct.

“Our business has been at the forefront of a series of exciting movements in sport, which have required bold thinking and brave delivery. Our rebrand signifies both growth and diversification, and allows us to signal our intent, belief and commitment to push the edge of possibility through our work in sport."

The meaning of 54
There are two sources of inspiration for the name, Performance54, which now define the 54 brand. The first derives from the firm’s early work in golf, with 54 representing the perfect score: an 18-under par round of golf over a standard 18-hole, par-72 golf course. The second relates to the positioning of the numerical ‘5’ before ‘4’, which in some Asian language groups has a meaning of ‘never-say-die'. Both interpretations continue to define the company ethos to this day; a never say die attitude in the pursuit of perfection.

Since inception in 2015, 54’s services have been in high demand, resulting in its naming among the fastest growing companies in Europe (4th and 12th in Sunday Times Virgin Atlantic Fast Track 100 for 2019 and ‘20, respectively, and 171st in Financial Times’ FT1000 2021, a list of the fastest growing companies in Europe) and four times as the ‘Golf Business of the Year’ at the World Golf Awards, most recently in October 2023.

In Australia
54's Australian based team has developed a best-in-class reputation for sports advisory services, commercial strategy, consumer strategy and event management, with the LIV Golf event staged at The Grange Golf Club in 2023 named the World’s Best Golf Event of the Year at the World Golf Awards. The 2024 edition in April saw attendance increase to more than 94,000.

Nick Haslam, 54 Managing Director, Australia added “54 is trusted in the international market by some of the biggest brands, rights holders and Government agencies. It is exciting to have a team here in Australia to combine our existing network across sports and entertainment. The journey for 54 started with our role managing and promoting LIV Golf Adelaide. We look forward to leveraging this success and innovative approach to broader opportunities in Australia.”

Unlocking full potential
54 has been increasingly employed by rights holders, governing bodies, brands and major investors who share a belief in the need to adapt outdated thinking to capture new opportunities and unlock the full power of sport. Its ever-growing team of 180+ associates and partners are now engaged across three core service areas each consisting of two divisions: 1. Strategic Advisory (Consultancy and Data & Insights), 2. Asset Optimisation (Operations and Commercial Rights Management), 3. Activation & Engagement (Events and Marketing).

54 has seen a considerable uplift in clients seeking engagement across strategic advisory services at the very highest level, bridging the gap between conceptual consultancy to actual hands-on tactical execution, delivery of returns, and everything in between.

Find out more about 54 at the newly launched weare54.com