Rebranding the ECHL?

[JMCx4]

With S/T to @wildcat48 ...

SBNation's Eye On The Prize blog recently published an interview with new ECHL commissioner Ryan Crelin. Multiple topics discussed, but I found the wrap-up question & the Commissioner's response intriguing ...

... There is a certain amount of brand confusion in your name. Are you looking to maybe re-brand the league name?

“That’s not the case right now, unless some other opportunity that made a lot of sense came around, then maybe we would go in that direction, like tying it to a sponsor or partner. But other than that we believe in the ECHL as a brand, and as who we are. In the US you’ve got a conference known as the ‘Big Ten,’ which actually has fourteen teams, and the reason is that the Big Ten carries weight and has brand equity and history, and we feel similar.

“We’ve been trying to get the ECHL moniker into people’s vernacular for a long time, but ‘East Coast’ still sticks around, but to say we will just scrap it and go in a different direction would not be correct. We do struggle with it, and we frequently have the conversation. But there are 31 years of brand equity there, and for us to just scrap it without a greater purpose doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.” ...

Click to read more...

 

[Barclay Donaldson]

With S/T to @wildcat48 ...

SBNation's Eye On The Prize blog recently published an interview with new ECHL commissioner Ryan Crelin. Multiple topics discussed, but I found the wrap-up question & the Commissioner's response intriguing ...

It’s never happening. There’s too much brand recognition with the EC.

That, and he’s brought up very valid points about there being 14 schools in the Big10, the Atlantic Coast Conference including schools west of the Appalachians. That, and the American Hockey League has long included teams from Canada. They’re certainly not ever going to change despite now having 4 Canadian teams. The National Hockey League is in two countries, not just one as the “national” implies. None of them are going to pick up the “International,” “Central,” or “United” moniker for political or geographic correctness.

 

[royals119]

I remember there were talks that they were in discussions with Nationwide about sponsoring the league name when they ultimately went with ECHL. I thought it would have been appropriate, and brought some sponsor money to the league.

The PGA's "development" tour (equivalent of minor league golf) has done this for a long time. It has been known over the years as the Hogan tour, Web.com tour, Nationwide tour, Buy.com tour, Nike tour, and it is now the Korn Ferry tour. The longest lasting name was Nationwide at 9 1/2 seasons, but some only lasted three years, and they seem to break their "ten year" contracts regularly. I don't think that would be a good idea for the ECHL - changing names every few years would be bad for the league, and the amount of sponsor money they would get wouldn't make it worthwhile. If they went with a sponsor name it has to be a very long term contract, with a big up front payment - hopefully with either a hockey equipment company,or a name like Nationwide or Continental as opposed to something like Web.com.

 

[JMCx4]

... the American Hockey League has long included teams from Canada. They’re certainly not ever going to change despite now having 4 Canadian teams. ...

For the sake of "geographic correctness" in this thread, I'm compelled to point out that those 4 Canadian clubs reside in North America.

 

[Barclay Donaldson]

For the sake of "geographic correctness" in this thread, I'm compelled to point out that those 4 Canadian clubs reside in North America.

Not really, that's like asserting that all the teams in the Alps Hockey League come from the Greater Alpine region despite the name clearly inferring it means the Alps mountain range and not the surrounding area. If what you're claiming is true, it would've been named the NAHL since the name was open in 1939 when the name was changed. The league name came from when the International-American League which came from the Canadian-American League. Neither of those infer North America. It certainly never was meant to stand for the "(North) American Hockey League." The league had exclusively American teams until 19 years after the league changed their name.

 

[JMCx4]

@Barclay Donaldson : Your family must certainly be blessed that HFB is here as an outlet for your argumentative nature.

 

[Barclay Donaldson]

@Barclay Donaldson : Your family must certainly be blessed that HFB is here as an outlet for your argumentative nature.

I wouldn't consider that arguing. All I did was bring forward logic and facts against a flimsy assertion.

 

[Captain Crash]

@Barclay Donaldson : Your family must certainly be blessed that HFB is here as an outlet for your argumentative nature.

 

[Cyclones Rock]

I remember there were talks that they were in discussions with Nationwide about sponsoring the league name when they ultimately went with ECHL. I thought it would have been appropriate, and brought some sponsor money to the league.

The PGA's "development" tour (equivalent of minor league golf) has done this for a long time. It has been known over the years as the Hogan tour, Web.com tour, Nationwide tour, Buy.com tour, Nike tour, and it is now the Korn Ferry tour. The longest lasting name was Nationwide at 9 1/2 seasons, but some only lasted three years, and they seem to break their "ten year" contracts regularly. I don't think that would be a good idea for the ECHL - changing names every few years would be bad for the league, and the amount of sponsor money they would get wouldn't make it worthwhile. If they went with a sponsor name it has to be a very long term contract, with a big up front payment - hopefully with either a hockey equipment company,or a name like Nationwide or Continental as opposed to something like Web.com.

Great points.

Once the naming merry-go-round starts, a brand rapidly loses its recognition.

There used to be a legitimate Kentucky Derby Prep race called "The Jim Beam Stakes" and Turfway Park in Northern Kentucky. There was a stretch from 1990-93 where the Jim Beam Stakes winner won one of the legs of horse racing's Triple Crown (Ky Derby, Preakeness, Belmont Stakes).

Jim Beam dropped its sponsorship and the race has been the Gallery.com Stakes, Lanes End Stakes, Vinery Racing Stakes, The Spiral Stakes (it's original name before the Jim Beam) Cincinnati Horseshoe Stakes and now it's the Jeff Ruby Steaks (for real).

It's lost any real branding due to all the switches and it hasn't been a Kentucky Derby prep race for years.

 

[mk80]

For me this comment boils down to, "we're happy with the ECHL name, but everything has a price"

Ex. NBA D-League changes to NBA G League because of Gatorade partnership

While I'd personally hate something like that for any hockey league, from a business perspective if a league got an offer they can't refuse to put some corporate branding in then I'd expect them to take it.

 

[crimsonace]

Not really, that's like asserting that all the teams in the Alps Hockey League come from the Greater Alpine region despite the name clearly inferring it means the Alps mountain range and not the surrounding area. If what you're claiming is true, it would've been named the NAHL since the name was open in 1939 when the name was changed. The league name came from when the International-American League which came from the Canadian-American League. Neither of those infer North America. It certainly never was meant to stand for the "(North) American Hockey League." The league had exclusively American teams until 19 years after the league changed their name.

The American Hockey League was a merger of the old International and Can-Am legues, and thus was called the International-American Hockey League. Shortly after the last Canadian team exited the league and it became an all-U.S. circuit, it was re-named the AHL in 1940. But yes, all of the teams are in North America (and, much like the ECHL moniker, there are decades and decades of brand equity in the AHL name).

 

[BruinsFan37]

Would be better to figure out a new meaning for the acronym than rebrand entirely.

E______ C______ Hockey League

 

[JMCx4]

Would be better to figure out a new meaning for the acronym than rebrand entirely.

E______ C______ Hockey League

Entry-level Contract Hockey League?

 

[mk80]

Would be better to figure out a new meaning for the acronym than rebrand entirely.

E______ C______ Hockey League

Entry-level Contract Hockey League?

Entire Continent Hockey League

 

[Boxer Courage]

It’s still frequently referred to by players, coaches, and more as “the Coast” or “East Coast league” even though it’s probably been just ECHL for as long, if not longer, than it was East Coast Hockey League. My point is, I’m not sure how successful the rebranding actually was in the first place.

 

[GindyDraws]

It’s still frequently referred to by players, coaches, and more as “the Coast” or “East Coast league” even though it’s probably been just ECHL for as long, if not longer, than it was East Coast Hockey League. My point is, I’m not sure how successful the rebranding actually was in the first place.

It wasn't. They only rebranded into the "orphan initialism" due to the first merger with the WCHL to avoid confusion, but people are going to assume the acronym still stands for something. When the Indy Fuel came to be, everyone kept calling the ECHL the East Coast Hockey League even though the ECHL threw conniptions about that reporting.

 

[CrazyEddie20]

Entry-level Contract Hockey League?

A while back, the league payed less than the IRS rate for mileage, which led some of the on-ice officials to call it the Extremely Cheap Hockey League.

 

[royals119]

Back when they had teams in California, Alaska, Pensacola, etc I liked Every Coast Hockey League. Doesn't work as well now without any Pacific coast or Gulf coast teams (although I guess Estero could be considered Gulf coast).

 

[No Fun Shogun]

I'm reminded of a Norm MacDonald bit about how ID is a weird acronym, because the "I" stands for "I" while the "D" stands for "Dentification."

Same here. It's just the E C Hockey League now.

 

[IDuck]

always thought should just call it what it is, which has a ring to it and makes sense.... the AAHL or double A hockey leauge.

 

[PCSPounder]

A former message board had a thing for Elite Continental Hockey League.

Extremely Cheap seems to work, too.