Building And Leveraging
A “Loss-Proof” Brand
For Sporting Franchises."
Sport Marketing Association "
6th Annual Conference !
Gold Coast, Australia!
July 17, 2008!

Each Of These Is A Famous Brand.

Each Of These Is A Famous Brand.
But What About These? "

It Depends On How You Define “Brand.”"

It’s What Others
Say/Think About
Us When We’re
Not Around."

“A brand for a company
is like a reputation for a
person…
You earn reputation by
doing hard things well.”
- Jeff Bezos, CEO Amazon.!

Not All Brands Are Equal. "

Utility
UTILITY"

ESTEEM"
Utility
UTILITY"

ASPIRATION"
ESTEEM"
Utility
UTILITY"

Brands Can Transcend Utility And
Become “Nations.” "
NATION "
ASPIRATION"
ESTEEM"
Utility
UTILITY"

Brands Can Transcend Utility And
Become “Nations.” "
NATION "
ASPIRATION"
ESTEEM"
Utility
UTILITY"

“Apart from the
spiritual powers,
there is nothing more
powerful than the
spirit of nationality.”
- George William Russell!

What Is A “Nation Brand?”"
A nation is a cultural and
social community in as
much as members may
never meet each other,
yet feel a common bond.!
! !!
Nations are defined by a
shared culture. Unlike a
language, a national
culture is !unique to the
nation.!
Source: Definition of Nation, Wikipedia.

Nation Brands Are Unique -- They Embody A
Set Of Values And An Unreplicable Ethos.!

All Brand Operations March In Lockstep
To Create A Consistent Culture.

Nation Brands Are Equally Engaging To
Employees And Customers Alike."
Engages"
EMPLOYEES" Inspires" CUSTOMERS"
Unites"
BRAND"

So…. Are Sporting Teams Really
Brands?

So…. Are Sporting Teams Really
Brands?
And… Are Any Of Them “Nations”?

There’s A Lot of Evidence They Are..."
“Thank You
Steeler Nation.”"
- Mike Tomlin, !
Head Coach, Pittsburgh
Steelers. !
Super Bowl XLIII. !

Many Shared Attributes Support The Fact."
• Satellite TV and the Internet
have made teams bankable
brand names in ways they
could only have imagined a
generation ago.!
• Many teams today enjoy the
same name recognition as
“conventional brands.”!
• Various channels of distribution
today have largely rendered a
team’s geography irrelevant. !

In Fact, The Similarities Are Myriad. "
Like “conventional brands,” they…!
• Employ large numbers of people.
(Players/ coaches/ management).!
• Need to remain profitable and financially
viable in their location.!
§ Rival cities or wealthy benefactors often seek to
lure sporting franchises away from their home
markets with the promise of new facilities and
better government/ public support.!
• Seek to appeal to and satisfy a number
of different stakeholders (sponsors,
home cities, fans, players, management,
talent).!
! ! !!

Is There Really Any Difference
Between A Corporation’s
“Conventional Brand” And A
Sporting Team’s?"
The Differences Are Subtle But "
Critical Ones."

There Are Two…"
UNPREDICTABILITY"
!Unlike corporations with rigid
financial performance metrics, it
is almost impossible to forecast
how a team will perform on the
field. !
! !- This is a vital statistic as it
!greatly influences all other
!success measures.!

There Are Two…"
UNPREDICTABILITY"
!Unlike corporations with rigid
financial performance metrics, it
is almost impossible to forecast
how a team will perform on the
field. !
! !- This is a vital statistic as it
!greatly influences all other
!success measures.!
GLASS CEILINGS "
!Unlike unfettered free markets,
many sports governing bodies
impose stringent salary caps
and award concession draft
picks designed to level the
playing field.!

As A Result, No Team Can Base Its
Brand Strategy By Simply Planning
On Winning."

Teams Must Seek To Remain
Appealing When Not Performing In
Their Most Public Forum…"

On Game Day!!!"

But How?
By Understanding That Good
Performance And Profitability Are Not
The Only Measures Of Success."

A Lot Of Brands Play The Same “Sport” But
Are Worlds Apart In What They Represent."
=
=

The Same Goes For Franchise Brands."
=
=

Generally Speaking, A Team’s Popularity "
Closely Mirrors Its Level Of Performance."
POPULARITY"
PERFORMANCE LEVEL"

But For Some Teams, Support Levels "
Are Performance Agnostic."
POPULARITY"
PERFORMANCE LEVEL"

“In baseball, even the
best teams only win 50
of their 81 home games
… that means you have
to give them [fans,
sponsors] a reason to
come even when the
team loses.”
- Arte Moreno, !
Owner, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.!

So The Challenge Is To Build A
Brand That Is “Loss-Proof”.
But How?"

Let’s Take A Closer Look…
A Tale Of Two Teams."
Comparing These Two Allows Us Insight Into How Each Forges
a Strong Emotional Bond With Its Fans.

Let’s Take A Closer Look…
A Tale Of Two Teams."
Comparing These Two Allows Us Insight Into How Each
Forges A Strong Emotional Bond With Its Fans."

Each Team Represents A Unique Idea,
Relevant To Its Home Market."

Having A Distinctive Brand Has Seen Each Top A
Poll Of Favorite Team Rankings In The Past Ten
Years. "
Favorite NFL Team by Ranking !
1998 1999 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
1st! 1st! 4th! = 1st! 2nd! 2nd! 2nd! 1st!
2nd! 3rd! 1st! = 1st! 1st! 1st! 4th! 4th!
These rankings came during eras of largely
unremarkable performances for each team. "
Source: FAVORITE NFL TEAM: The Harris Pollｮ #95, October 1, 2007. !
Available at: http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/index.asp?PID=811!

The Cowboys And The Packers Bear Stark
Contrast To Many Other Teams."

The Cowboys And The Packers Bear Stark
Contrast To Many Other Teams."
Brand Strategy Errors!
• No apparent brand
positioning.!
• Not unique.!
• Not targeted/relevant to
anyone in particular."

The Cowboys And The Packers Bear Stark
Contrast To Many Other Teams."
The Brand…!
Brand Strategy Errors! • Is ambiguous.!
• Lacks relevance. !
• No apparent brand • Franchise appeal
positioning.! fluctuates based on
• Not unique.! playing roster and
• Not targeted/relevant to game day
anyone in particular." performances."

Team Brands Become Loss-Proof By
Being Both Unique and Relevant. "
RELEVANT"
LOSS-
LOSS-
PROOF
LOSS-
PROOF
BRANDS "
PROOF
BRANDS"
BRANDS "
UNORIGINAL"
UNIQUE"
IRRELEVANT"

Failing To Do So Is A Trap Many
Teams Fall Into Today."
RELEVANT"
LOSS-
LOSS-
LOSS-
PROOF
LOSS-
PROOF
PROOF
Most " BRANDS "
PROOF
BRANDS
BRANDS""
Brands" BRANDS "
UNORIGINAL"
UNIQUE"
Dead "
Brands"
IRRELEVANT"

Popularity ebbs and RELEVANT"
flows with on-field
success!
UNORIGINAL"
UNIQUE"
IRRELEVANT"

Popularity ebbs and RELEVANT"
flows with on-field
success!
UNORIGINAL"
UNIQUE"
The Abyss."
• Susceptible to!
relocation/extinction.!
IRRELEVANT"

Popularity ebbs and RELEVANT"
flows with on-field
success!
UNORIGINAL"
UNIQUE"
The Abyss."
• Susceptible to!
relocation/extinction.!
IRRELEVANT"

Popularity ebbs and RELEVANT" Loss-Proof Brands.!
flows with on-field • Loved and !
success! irreplaceable.!
NATION
BRANDS
UNORIGINAL"
UNIQUE"
The Abyss."
• Susceptible to!
relocation/extinction.!
IRRELEVANT"

So How Can Teams Become More
Relevant And Unique?"
RELEVANT"
LOSS-
PROOF
BRANDS "
UNORIGINAL"
UNIQUE"
IRRELEVANT"

By Conducting A Holistic Synthesis
Of A Team’s Past, Present and Future."

FRANCHISE
HISTORY"
• Traditions!
• Icons!
• Ownership!
• Dynasties!

FRANCHISE
HISTORY"
• Traditions!
• Icons!
• Ownership!
• Dynasties!
FRANCHISE
HISTORY
• Traditions
• Icons
• Ownership
• Dynasties

FRANCHISE MARKET
HISTORY" ETHOS"
• Traditions! • Market mindset!
• Icons! • Fan archetype!
• Ownership! • Unique attributes!
• Dynasties! • Cultural beliefs!

MARKET
ETHOS"
• Market mindset!
• Fan archetype!
• Unique attributes!
• Cultural beliefs!

FRANCHISE MARKET
HISTORY" ETHOS"
• Traditions! • Market mindset!
• Icons! • Fan archetype!
• Ownership! • Unique attributes!
• Dynasties! • Cultural beliefs!
PERFORMANCE
AGNOSTIC
ASPIRATIONS"
• Role in community!
• Legacy goals!

PERFORMANCE
AGNOSTIC
ASPIRATIONS"
• Role in community!
• Legacy goals!

FRANCHISE MARKET
HISTORY" ETHOS"
• Traditions! • Market mindset!
• Icons! • Fan archetype!
• Ownership! • Unique attributes!
• Dynasties! • Cultural beliefs!
PERFORMANCE
AGNOSTIC
ASPIRATIONS"
• Role in community!
• Legacy goals!

FRANCHISE MARKET
HISTORY" ETHOS"
• Traditions! • Market mindset!
• Icons! • Fan archetype!
• Ownership! • Unique attributes!
• Dynasties! • Cultural beliefs!
PERFORMANCE LOSS
AGNOSTIC PROOF
ASPIRATIONS" BRAND"
• Role in community!
• Legacy goals!

The Synthesis Of These Three Factors
Make Loss-Proof Brands Memorable."
The Brazen, Big City Bullies.!
The Unpretentious, Hardworking,
Spirit of the Midwest.!
Hope and Heartbreak for the whole
Family.!
Showtime and Southern Glitz.!
The Hard-Nosed, Blue-Collar,
Backbone Of The Steel City.!

What Can New Or Undeveloped
Franchises Learn From All This?"
• Clearly articulate what your brand will represent.!
• Pay homage to history.!
• Reflect the ethos of your home market.!
• Aim higher – seek to bring a a new POV to what it means
to be a franchise in your league.!
• Differentiate from existing brands in the league.!
• Use the brand to drive all decisions regarding the operation. !
• Draft talent that reflects the ethos of the team.!
• Iconography!
• Stadium!
• Major sponsors!
• Marketing!
• Etc. !

Thank You.

Say G’Day."
E: charlie.quirk@gmail.com!
T: twitter.com/charliequirk!
B: charliequirk.org!
Charlie Quirk"