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Bobcats To Start Re-Brand Immediately

CarolinaPanthers8789

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CarolinaPanthers8789 Newbie

CarolinaPanthers8789

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While the team won't officially use the name until the 2014-15 season, the Bobcats are getting off to a quick start to distance themselves from the "Bob" Cats name. The organization plans to do almost everything aside from re-modeling the arena this year.

 

Link: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/07/18/4174038/charlotte-bobcats-campaign-touts.html

 

The ReBrand

 

The NBA team in Charlotte will finally get the old Hornets name back – and with it comes a new business model.

 

The team will kick off a “Buzz City” themed, purple-tinged media blitz Sunday on billboards, newspapers, radio and the Internet. A web video that goes with it is heavy on civic pride and heritage, with the old logo and an old Muggsy Bogues jersey making appearances.

 

One billboard-style ad proclaims simply: “Honey…I’m Home.”

 

Retro Hornets merchandise will be up for sale almost immediately. The new logo, colors, uniforms and the new dance team will follow soon.

 

In short, it’ll be a quick transition for a team that spent years trying to build a Bobcats brand that never quite caught on in Charlotte. The new focus will try to recreate the happy times that came with the city’s first big-league team.

 

One obstacle, certainly, has always been money. The team estimates it will cost about $3 million to change everything from the logo to Time Warner Cable Arena itself.

 

The Reason For The ReBrand

 

Bobcats officials conducted surveys over the winter to see how the change would be received. A full 80 percent of Charlotteans supported the name change.

 

“I’ve been involved in a number of research studies, and I’ve never seen numbers that favorable,” said Pete Guelli, the team’s marketing director.

 

In the past four weeks, the Bobcats have sold more than 500 season ticket plans, which will cover both this season and next. That ranks the team in the top eight of the NBA.

 

New Merchandise

 

But how will you sell a Cody Zeller Bobcats jersey to those ticketholders when the name’s going away?

 

Answer: They won’t. At least, that won’t be the focus.

 

Expect to see close-out sales on Bobcats gear early as manufacturers control their inventory, said Ira Mayer of EPM Communications, which publishes reports on sports licensing. T-shirts might stick around since they’re easier to make and can essentially be produced on demand. Everything else, he said, will soon be in short supply.

 

“I’m sure retail will be soft for six months, but then it’ll be the best they’ve ever had,” Bassewitz said. “I don’t see it hurting their business at all.”

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Proudiddy Grand Master

Proudiddy

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From the article it sounds like the logo/colors are due very soon considering it says "throwback merchandise" will be available "almost immediately" but, its already out and then the new logo/colors are soon to follow... Pair that with the fact that they're rolling out all the marketing campaigns this week, and I'd imagine they will try to capitalize on the momentum and give us a big reveal very, very soon.

One thing MJ has always been is an outstanding businessman, especially when it comes to trends and such. There's no doubt in my mind that he's already had his people, probably with some Jordan brand influence, working on the concepts since they applied for the name change.

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