So the Angels have decided to change their name to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. A lot of Angel fans from Orange County are up in arms declaring "We are not part of Los Angeles!". I say get over yourself.
Now I'm not an Orange County resident so I will say that I don't fully understand the situation nor can I appreciate what it is to be part of the O.C. That being said I can understand why the owner of the Angels, Arte Moreno, is doing what he is. There really is no name recognition for the city of Anaheim. Nobody else outside of California knows where Anaheim is. He can potentially increase his fan base by making this move. Does it matter to me that they don't really play in Los Angeles? Not particularly. What about these sports teams?
Auburn Hills Pisotons (Detroit Pistons)
East Rutherford Giants (New York Giants)
Arlington Rangers (Texas Rangers)
The list goes on and on. Yes, I agree that O.C. is not part of L.A. in the traditional sense but it really is in terms of the metorpolitan area. I guess I just can't understand why someone from O.C. hates being identified with the L.A. area. What a bunch of snobs :)
My favorite suggestion was to rename the Dodgers:
The Western United States, Except for San Francisco, Dodgers at Los Angeles.
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If Orange County is well known (and, with a hit show on TV, I would say that it is), why not rename the Angels to the Orange County Angels, or something like that? I would say that it could get confusing naming them the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim because then people might be tempted to shorten it to 'Los Angeles' when talking about them and, clearly, there is already a team with that city attached. (although, I guess Chicago might have a similar problem)
One TV show on Fox does not mean Orange County is well known. It simply isn't that well known outside of California. And the point is that L.A. is just better known.
It analogous to how I feel about Princeton and Harvard. Princeton is very well known, lots of people know it. But it just isn't as "well-known" as Harvard. You say Harvard anywhere in the world and people know the university. You say Princeton and, while most people may have an idea of what it is, it won't get the same respect Harvard will.
I agree with Jenny, OC is vastly more recognized than East Rutherford or Auburn Hills. I asked a random contact from Ohio if she had heard of Anaheim and the answer was yes (because of Disneyland). Moreover, being labeled as Anaheim has worked so far for the Angels. They won a world series with the name. Can you point out any problems they've had because of the name? Of course not. And if it's not broken, why fix it.
And so what if Los Angeles is more well known? California is even more well known. And the USA is even more well known that CA. The USA Angels vs. the USA Yankees. No, uniqueness helps out. I would even say that the White Sox have been hurt because when most people think of Chicago baseball they think of the Cubs. In fact, before I looked it up just now I couldn't have told you what the other team in Chicago was.
But, to me, the biggest reason the new name sucks is because it just sounds lame. Think about it, The Los Angeles Angels literally means "the the angels angels". And the name is way too long with "of Anaheim" on the end.
um, weren't they the california angels for years? i mean seriously, who decided to name them the anaheim angels anyway?
Here's a great ESPN article which ponders the idea of other teams naming themselves in the same fashion as The Los Angeles Angeles of Anaheim.
Ryan makes a great point about the Angels already winning the World Series with that name. Any other company with some smarts would not risk losing that branding!
I agree with Ryan, changing their name (again) is just stupid. they started out as the LA Angels then changed to the CA. Angels when they moved to Anaheim. The OC Angels might be OK, but, again, it's too many changes and you lose the aliteration of Anaheim Angels (Here in Ohio, I think most people say "What is 'The OC' supposed to stand for? Orange County? Where's that, Floriduh?" How about the Fantasyland Angels?
-John
A couple points. First, Ryan you know better than anyone else that one case of your friend knowing where Anaheim is does not mean that Anaheim is "well known" Yeah, people have some vague notion of where it is but it does not have the same name recognition as LA. As for the fact that the Angels won the World Series I think that have very little to do with the name associated with the team. That would be like Jenny telling me one of her graphics made my software run better.
This move is a purely marketing move and not one solely meant for a US audience. Arte Moreno is Hispanic and as such is trying to market very strongly to the Latino crowd. The LOS ANGELES Dodgers have a VERY strong Latino base and Moreno is trying to tap some of that market.
Creating a phony connection to LA is a lame marketing concept to say the least. It is condescending or worse to believe the Hispanic fan base cannot see through this ploy. Plus the name is completely awkward. No sportscaster is going to call them that. No newspaper has room to print it in the standings or box score. (I know Moreno knows that - he wants them to list "LA Angels") I think this at best will have no effect on fans.
-John
Terrence, I never said that Anaheim is "well known" only that it is far more known that East Rutherford and that "well known" isn't all that important since people already know who the Angels are (winning world series and all). And how can this be a good marketing scheme? I haven't heard anyone who said, "ooh, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, what a nice ring that name has too it". No, the name is long and awkward. Do you want a T-Shirt with "Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim" on it? I don't even think you could fit that on a baseball cap. If they want to associate it with LA why not just call it the LA Angeles? (though that would be stupid for other reasons) You say they want to appeal to latinos. Are you aware that they are already located in a heavily latino area? Yes, Anaheim is mostly latino (even though it's located in OC).
First off. They had to include the "At Anaheim" part. Part of their lease at Anaheim stadium stipulates that Anaheim muct be part of the name.
Second. How do you and I know what sort of Marketing data the Angels have? Seriously, do you think they just made this move without really doing any market research? This multi-million dollar organization just woke up one morning and said, "Hey, lets upset our fan base and change the name to something else".
Of course not. This is a long term move. This is a move that may have negative reaction now but 5 years from now nobody is going to remember this whole thing and they are just going to be the Los Angeles Angels, a team that has a much more recognizeable city attached to it.
Terrence, yes I think they did it without (adequate) market research.
Ryan, yes I want the T-Shirt AND the hat. It is so stupid it will be funny (at least in Cincinnati, where we are easily amused) plus it will be a collectors item in a short time when they realize their mistake - or when they move the franchise to Mexico and become the Los Angeles Angels in Tijuana.
-John
Actually it seems that their lease is already being broken, and the city of Anaheim is suing for breach of contract over the name change. So that's no excuse for such an awkward name.
As for your second point, I may not work for the Angel's marketing department, but I'm not a moron either. You can't seriously claim that any marketing research has concluded that five years from now baseball fans will want to associate with the first team name to break 10 syllables. Or that in the future sports fans will enjoy awkwardly long names on their merchandise. Trying to reach the baseball fans in LA you claim? They already have. Most of the attendance is from people in LA and they had the 3rd highest attendence in all of baseball last season. Obviously what they've done in the past has worked great. They are in a great place right now. According to the numbers their branding has paid off. Why ditch it?
Just because they are being sued by Anaheim does not mean they broke their lease. I do not think Anaheim can win becasue the lease states that "Anaheim" must be part of the name which it is.
You again miss the point about the name. The Angels DO NOT want the name Anaheim, they are doing it to satisfy their lease. They are hoping everyone drops the "at Anaheim" part of the name so that they are referred to as simply the Los Angeles Angels.
And no I'm not calling you a moron. I do however doubt if you have a degree in Marketing. And where did I claim that they are trying to reach LA fans? I think I claimed the opposite. This is for everyone OUTSIDE of LA. This is to gain global recognition.
Lastly, Are you seriously trying to say because something worked in the past you should just stick with it? That is a false argument and you know it. The fact that they drew the 3rd highest attendence only strengthens my argument. They are 20th in the league in revenue.
http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2004/0426/066tab.html
You know why? They have no merchandising. Look at all the teams at the bottom. They come from small towns. It has nothing to do with winning or losing. What Arte Moreno is trying to do is have the Angels thought of as LA's team. Sure, fans here and now know the truth, but like I said 5 to 10 years from now who knows, this whole ploy might work.
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