ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the issues for sports properties from the standpoint of a customer-driven brand. An effective brand name aids in building awareness because consumers can relate the brand's identity to the product or service it represents. Another purpose a brand serves is as a representation of thoughts or mental associations that people hold for a product or service, which is brand image. Brands represent a promise of action that will benefit a customer. Most relationships with the brands are discretionary. Sports face two very unique branding situations. First, a brand may need to be modified or updated, which requires a brand makeover to make it relevant to the target market or to reflect environmental changes. Second, franchise operations sometimes must relocate, requiring decisions about the brand name, brand marks, and other aspects of brand identity.
