Often in marketing class, the importance of the brand to a company is discussed. How to develop brand loyalty, how to brand the company to a certain way, or how to create brand image. As of the 2013-2014 NBA season, the New Orleans Hornets will change it’s name and brand to the New Orleans Pelicans. By applying marketing concepts into this rebranding of a team, I can see that this change made a lot of sense.

Previously, the Pelicans were called the New Orleans Hornets. However, before that, the team originated from Charlotte and was called the Charlotte Hornets before they relocated to New Orleans, Louisiana. The rebranding of this NBA franchise is a good choice because of a numerous reasons. First of all, it brings in cash. Sadly, after trading away their best star player (Chris Paul, Guard), the Hornets never played the same. And unlike those New York teams that always manage to sell out their tickets, New Orleans is a relatively small market, meaning, as the team begins to lose games, tickets decrease. For New Orleans, dubbed the Pelican state, the rebranding of the team spells change and loyalty. The Hornets named always felt like it belonged to Charlotte anyways. Secondly, the Pelican is Louisiana’s state bird. And after hurricane Katrina that stuck New Orleans, and the BP oil spill, many pictures of the pelican with oil spilt over them surfaced. By changing the name, the franchise is doing a good job connecting themselves to the people of New Orleans.

This change was a well though strategic choice because rebranding the team was not just about changing the name, it was about joining the entire state as a whole. The team is finally putting a larger focus in targeting its audience and catering to what they want.

Sources:

http://www.psfk.com/2013/02/new-orleans-pelicans-nba.html

http://www.bestofneworleans.com/blogofneworleans/archives/2012/12/07/in-the-end-pelicans-really-is-the-best-team-name-for-new-orleans-nba-franchise

http://www.nba.com/pelicans/new-orleans-pelicans-logos-unveiled