USAToday.com | Packers biggest brand with local folks
The [Green Bay Packers] franchise was named the strongest team brand in its local market compared with professional sports teams across the country in the 2008 Turnkey Team Brand Index, a consumer survey of thousands of diehard sports fans.
The Packers ranked first among 122 team brands in the NFL, NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball in home-market strength.
“What this is saying is the following the Packers have is more intensely loyal to supporting the Packers than any other team,” said Len Perna, president and chief executive of New Jersey-based Turnkey Sports & Entertainment. “What this basically says is that all other things being equal, a sponsor gets more value in sponsoring the Packers than any other team.”
Never an empty seat at Lambeau Field, not even after Brett Favre left, not even in the last minute of the last home game of the season even if we’re not going to the playoffs.
… Favre and winning certainly played a part in the Packers’ boost in the rankings but the survey covers so many areas that it’s difficult for one or two factors to dominate.
… The online survey measured such things as team popularity, fan loyalty and assessments of owners. It asked participants about their perceptions of teams ” How entertaining it is to attend games? Is the organization’s appreciation of fans genuine? Does the team have likable players?
Why else am I still getting orders for beaded cheeseheads?
I’m sure the ownership format plays a big role. No other team in major American sports is owned by a non-profit community based holding company. Unlike fans in New Orleans or Houston or Buffalo or Tennessee or Baltimore or Cleveland or everywhere the people of Green Bay are never getting threatened by the owners with a move and/or extorted for ever more favorable lease terms.
[I like the nice holiday banner!]