Jared Max: Cache Of 'Golden State' Could Become A Marketer's Dream
By Jared Max
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What percentage of Americans know specifically where the Golden State Warriors play?
An informal survey of the WCBS 880 newsroom on Friday morning told me that the Warriors are like designer jeans in a catchy TV commercial that fail to brand the product.
I asked random colleagues, "Do you know where the Golden State Warriors play?"
Not surprisingly, only one more person knew the correct answer than those who did not.
Despite the fact that I have been a sports fan since shortly after I exited the womb, I did not know the Warriors' home was in Oakland, Calif. until I was 12 or 13. I did not know that California's nickname was The Golden State. As far as I knew, the Warriors played in an undefined location. A golden place, of sorts -- wherever it may be.
Among 132 teams in the NBA, NHL, NFL and MLB, the Warriors are the only franchise that is not identified by a city, state or province name, district (Washington), borough (Brooklyn) or region (New England).
Why is this?
Because the Warriors have been a bottom-of-the-barrel team for most of my life, I viewed the "Golden State" title as a novelty. I did not take the organization as seriously as I may have if it was the Oakland Warriors. But now that this team is primed to win the NBA Finals, the cache of "Golden State" could become a marketer's dream. This leads to my next thought.
If the Warriors win the title, the name Golden State will gain more household recognition than ever. Geography students would identify California quicker than any other state among a list of state nicknames. Because we see copycatting at various levels of sports, I wonder if Golden State's success could inspire other sports teams to re-brand themselves.
While I believe the New York Giants and New York Jets should be renamed "Jersey Giants" and "Jersey Jets" (because neither has called The Empire State its home in over 30 years), I think our local hockey team in the "What exit?" state should adopt the Warriors' approach.
The Garden State Devils. It has a nice ring to it, right?
This would not work for all teams. The "Show Me State" Cardinals sounds ridiculous. So does "Beehive State Jazz," "Prairie State Blackhawks" and "Sunshine State Rays." What works for some does not for others.
While all four major leagues have teams that call Minneapolis their home, each pro team in the Land of 10,000 Lakes is named Minnesota. The Colts identify with Indianapolis. Why don't the Pacers? While the Diamondbacks, Cardinals and Coyotes all play in the Phoenix area, unlike the Suns, they identify with Arizona.
This name game may seem like child's play to you. But, to marketing heavyweights, this is a grown man's game.
Go Golden State!
Jared Max is a multi-award winning sportscaster. He hosted a No. 1 rated New York City sports talk show, "Maxed Out" — in addition to previously serving as longtime Sports Director at WCBS 880, where he currently anchors weekend sports. Follow and communicate with Jared on Twitter @jared_max.
