The World Champion Colts: Indy's New Brand Equity

Ever wonder what value big league sports actually produces for a region or community? Consider the NFL success of the Indianapolis Colts and how their Super Bowl win has produced an interesting change in Word-of-Mouth nomenclature. For example, when the Colts moved from Baltimore to Indianapolis in the early 1980s, sportscasters and commentators generally referred to the team as "the Colts." Today, the phrase "Indianapolis" is interchangable with the phrase "the Colts" when used popularly.

The brand impact on a city and region once known as "Naptown" or "a cornfield with lights"? Huge.

Before the 2006 AFC title game (and the Colts' subsequent high profile ticket to their winning Super Bowl), I authored a Sunday OP-ED in the Indianapolis Star that appeared on the day of the game. It explains why the Colts' success is critically important for the re-positioning of Indianapolis and the state. If you doubt its impact, then my suggestion is to review the widespread coverage of the city when the NFL opened its season in the former "Naptown" earlier in September. For more information, read on:

The Colts and Indy: An emerging mutual brand of excellence

By Michael Snyder

Taunting and loud, the voice pierced the din of the production bay at the radio station I was working at in Pasadena in 1984. “Hey Snyder,” the news director’s voice mocked, “Can you say ‘Indianapolis’ Colts?”

Long the brunt of many a “cornfield with lights” joke, ironically in a Southern California iconic city whose original name was “The Indiana Colony,” I was an overt lifelong Baltimore Colts fan. Even though the Colts at the time were the doormat of the NFL, I was still incredulous. From a west coast view, the mold seemed shattered. Against all odds, Indy was now part of the National Football League.

What was even more astonishing was the fact that there was even a place for the Colts to play. When I rolled out of Indy in 1976 – universally known in those days as “Naptown” – there wasn’t much of a noteworthy physical brand to leave behind: no Chase Tower, no One America building, and certainly no domed stadium. The downtown Circle was defined by decaying retail storefronts, presenting a strong impression that this was a city enthusiastically racing toward the 18th century.

Even a few years later, the city and state still weren’t projecting a brand that would quite attract the best and brightest. While in New York City on business later in the 1980s, I politely declined a dinner invitation, citing the fact that the Colts were making a rare Monday Night Football appearance and I wanted to catch the game. In the pre-Internet and zillion-channel satellite days, Colts games were seldom broadcast live in Southern California.
In between plays, the sports commentators seemed singularly unimpressed by the Hoosier Capital City. Based on repeated messaging, the national TV audience was left with a shallow brand perception. According to the commentators, Indy’s solitary redeeming factor was that it had a pretty good steakhouse.

Today, as the Colts and Indianapolis prepare for the first-ever AFC Championship here, a completely different city is deservedly on deck for a national re-branding. The sweeping vista shots panning the city during television timeouts reveal a progressive metropolis that has redefined itself as a 21st century global player. The Indy “brand” – that all-important Holy Grail of marketing – is in positive transformation, taking the Hoosier state with it. Representing a marketer’s dream of a worldwide showcase, the reach and frequency of Indy’s new brand message remains firmly at the high end of gold-plated media. Every time a commentator couples words like “powerhouse” with Indianapolis, it rubs off. In a classic marketing matchup, people are presented with a believable reason to reconsider Indiana and Indianapolis as something quite different from years past. All week long, the city’s positive brand equity will grow.

An old saw in brand development goes as follows: “There’s nothing like great marketing to kill a bad product.” Heightened brand awareness of flawed merchandise will drive away consumers.
Fortunately for Indianapolis and Indiana, the product is solid. “Naptown” of old is no more. Want proof of Indiana’s new emerging brand? Consider the headline from the Detroit News last year: “Michigan should fear Indiana, not India” for competitive economic development.
Regardless of how the game turns out today, Indianapolis and Indiana win dual victories. Many corporate site selectors are rabid football fans at this time of year, and the multi-faceted live commentary out of the RCA Dome only reinforces one brand fact: Indianapolis today represents a force to be ignored only at the peril of the unenlightened.

Managing principal of The MEK Group, a marketing consulting firm in Carmel, Snyder returned to Indianapolis from Los Angeles in 1993.