Charlotte Hornets: Rebranding Pays Off Big Time

The Charlotte Hornets have finished up what became an incredibly frustrating season. With so many injuries to overcome and a few players who just didn’t hold up their end of the bargain, the Hornets ran out of steam down the stretch in 2015, finishing with a 33-49 record.

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While the negatives on the court will ultimately be what this team is remembered for, fans should at least be grateful they have their Hornets back.

I recently wrote a piece about the relaunch of the Hornets being a success regardless of whether or not the team made the playoffs. My argument was that at least people were talking about basketball in Charlotte again. It’s better to be relevant and under-perform than to be an afterthought.

But now there’s hard evidence to support that the Hornets relaunch was a big success.

Erik Spanberg of the Charlotte Business Journal recently posted an article that examined the money the relaunch generated for Michael Jordan and company.

For starters, attendance was way up. The Hornets sold out 11 of 41 home games in 2014-15, compared to just 10 total games being sold out over the previous three years. They also set records for season ticket sales and ticket package sales this season.

Yes, the fact that the (then) Bobcats made the playoffs last season definitely played a role in the attendance spike. But Charlotte played better basketball in 2013-14 than it did this season. So while the hype on the court helped to sell out more games, it seems pretty clear that a better brand helped to put more butts in more seats.

On top of ticket sales, merchandise sales were up a whopping 300 percent. The team also gained more than 30 new sponsors, including Coke, McDonalds and Mercedes-Benz.

The only real financial miss this season came in the form of lost playoff game revenue. Spanberg estimates two home games would have generated an extra $1 million.

So when you look at the whole picture, which is something all Hornets fans should be doing right now, the state of the franchise is good. Obviously, basketball is the end all, be all. But having a recognizable brand that resonates with fans is a big part of the equation. The NBA is a business when you get right down to it.

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The question now becomes — how long until the buzz of the relaunch season wears off?

A playoff berth last season combined with the return of the Hornets acted as a perfect storm for renewed fan interest. From here on out, winning is going to need to carry more of the load. A fantastic logo, nickname and color scheme can only do so much.

But I’d say the Hornets did well enough this season to keep fan interest in the ballpark of where it was six to eight months ago. Plus, any halfway realistic fan will see that there were just too many injuries for the current roster to overcome.

It’s now time for the decision makers to huddle up and lay out a play to add more wins in 2015-16, just like the Hornets brand has added more zeros to Jordan’s paychecks.

Forbes estimates the Hornets worth at $725 million.

Next: Charlotte Hornets Must Stay the Course With Steve Clifford

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Charlotte Hornets Rebranding Literally Pays Off Big Time

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