Kansas City Mavericks: Name Change Part of Strategy to Grow Brand
The Kansas City Mavericks, formerly Missouri Mavericks, an ECHL affiliate of the New York Islanders, have changed their name in hopes that the brand power of Kansas City will escalate the success of their business. I recently chatted with the GM of the Mavericks.
The Kansas City Mavericks may be a minor-league hockey team, but a recent investment in the franchise’s future is anything but minor.
"“I cannot give a figure to the costs associated with it (the name change),” said Mavericks general manager Brent Thiessen, “but there are significant costs.”"
Basically any and everything that bears the team logo or name will have to be replaced. That’s in addition to a new marketing initiative into the greater Kansas City metro area.
"“We will continue to build on the relationships we have in place, but will also see marketing to include KC,” Thiessen explained. “(We are) hopefully growing our footprint in the area to beyond the state line. Youth hockey, TV, retail outlets, all are areas we want to grow.”"
All that investment is working toward the end that Thiessen mentioned, including Kansas City and the surrounding area as its territory that it draws fans from. It’s becoming part of the larger sports community in the Kansas City area that is the goal. When fans think about Kansas City sports, the Mavericks want themselves to be included in the conversation right along with the Chiefs, Royals and Sporting.
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"“(A) perfect situation allows fans to relate and identify with us as their professional hockey team,” Thiessen elaborated. “We continue to try and sell out each and every game and be talked about with the other professional teams in the area.”"
While the name change is a recent announcement, it’s actually years in the making.
"“The name change has been something we have discussed seriously for the past two seasons,” Thiessen revealed. “Obviously we have had the challenge of overcoming an established brand and with our new ownership it cleared the way to revisit the initiative. There will not be any other rebranding initiatives. This ‘rebrand’ isn’t so much a drastic change, but a minor change to reflect our fan base and be more inclusive to our fans. It also allows us a more specific identity nationally.”"
Next: Kansas City Royals: Five Players To Watch Vs Texas Rangers
As the Mavericks open the 2017-18 season in October with the new name, the benefits of the change will hopefully outweigh the cost many times over. What’s certain is that the Mavericks are positioning themselves as a major player in the Kansas City sport entertainment scene.