Place Branding: A Case Study of the Atlanta Hawks' City Edition Campaign
Abstract
Branding has become an essential element to sport organizations and an organization’s ability to improve brand equity is ever present in distinguishing one brand from another. Teams typically distinguish themselves by utilization of their unique assortment of logos, uniforms, colors, and other visually identifiable elements. Given the unprecedented account of rising tensions in the U.S. at the intersection between sports, politics, and racial issues, it is necessary to see how brands are reacting to such current events. The National Basketball Association’s “City Edition'' campaign has provided the opportunity for each of the league’s 30 teams to collaborate with Nike, the league’s most recent uniform supplier, to develop a unique uniform set intended for each team to honor its respective communal identity. While all teams have created new alternate uniform sets to be worn and sold, some teams have gone as far as implementing new court designs, creating alternate logos, and even utilizing this campaign to integrate corporate social responsibility objectives. The purpose of this case study is to investigate the strategic marketing efforts of one team’s “City Edition” promotion that extends into the realm of social responsibility. This study examined the case of the Atlanta Hawks’ Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK) campaign, which incorporated a variety of branding strategies extending far beyond the simple addition of a new alternate jersey. Primary data was gathered through interviews with team marketing staff members who were directly involved in the creative process and execution of the campaign. Secondary data was gathered via content analysis of local and national news articles (N = 102) that provided coverage on the campaign and its impact. Additional information was reviewed from official league and team web pages, as well as the team’s primary social media platforms.
Citation
Anderson, Aaron Jacob (2021). Place Branding: A Case Study of the Atlanta Hawks' City Edition Campaign. Master's thesis, Texas A&M University. Available electronically from https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /195715.