Ukip’s chairman has said he is not worried about the possibility of Premier League taking legal action after party members voted on a new logo displaying a large purple lion.
Paul Oakden told the BBC’s Daily and Sunday Politics that he “doesn’t mind Ukip being associated with the Premier League” and that the party “did our due diligence” when coming up with the new potential designs for the party.
Two options were unveiled to members at the party’s annual conference but it was the lion that got roaring support from attendees who voted on the rebrand.
Gary Lineker, former professional footballer and current Match of the Day host, was among those who pointed out the similarities with the football league’s design which famously features a purple lion’s head.
Benedict Pringle, founder of politicaladvertising.co.uk, told HuffPost animals often help “attach positive feelings towards an organisation or cause”.
“When people see a depiction of an animal it evokes existing emotions that they have towards the creature. A lion is typically associated with feelings like bravery, strength and – through its link to royalty - tradition.
“In choosing to use a lion as part of their logo, Ukip are hoping that some of the feelings people have towards the King of the Jungle will rub off on their party.
“But they have made a big mistake in making their logo so similar to the Premier League’s and it will cause them problems in both the short and the long term.
“One of the key aspects of creating a successful brand is making it distinctive, so that people can quickly recognise it and easily know what it relates to. Given that the Premier League is more famous and spend more money on communication, in the long term there’s no way Ukip could expect to ‘own’ the logo.
“And in the short term it has led to them being ridiculed on social media, meaning that any initial associations people might have with the logo will likely be negative.”
Other undesirable similarities were also pointed out.
Many people also pointed out the irony in the anti-immigration party choosing a non-British animal to represent it.
The Sun reported that the Premier League are consulting lawyers over the logo. Oakden told the Daily Politics: “If they [the Premier League] feel they have a right to take legal action I’m sure they’ll consult with their lawyers.”
A spokesman for the Premier League told HuffPost UK: “The Premier League will not be making any public comment regarding the UKIP logo.”