Fans of Atlanta’s MLS team hope to learn its official name sometime before the Gold Cup semifinals in the Georgia Dome in late July.
The name — Atlanta Spurs? FC Atlanta? Atlanta United? — is but one pass in an FC Barcelona-like sequence that usually starts with figuring out what the expectations of all stakeholders, continues with deciding on the team’s promise to those stakeholders and will eventually be translated and transformed into the name, colors, logo, motto, team’s uniform and other merchandise that are the tangible, consumable symbols of what will be Atlanta’s MLS team.
“If you are thinking about a brand, it’s one of the most powerful and valuable assets you own,” MLS Chief Marketing Officer Howard Handler said. “You can’t hold it in your hand.
“Some of the great brands in North American sports, the team’s owners have global aspirations and want to think over decades and generations of families and fans.”
The process starts with simple conversations, and those discussions with fans can be done in any number of ways, according to Handler.
MLS Atlanta is using a survey, extensive market research, focus groups, a brand audit of all MLS clubs and grass-roots get-togethers with fans and supporters groups such as Terminus Legion, which Handler said are important factors, to understand their expectations and desires. A team spokeswoman declined to provide any more details about the results or any other comment, citing the fact that they are still working on many things about the club. She said the team would share the information after more decisions are made.
“It’s (research) core stuff and something that our owners and club executives take very seriously,” Handler said.
Those expectations will be combined with the character and values of ownership, in this case of Arthur Blank and his leadership team, as ingredients in the team’s brand strategy, otherwise known as what MLS Atlanta will stand for and what will differentiate it from the other sports and entertainment options in Atlanta.
After the intangibles are solidified, the tangible things begin to take shape. The team’s name usually comes first, followed by the colors, logo and the uniforms.
The name, of course, is the most identifiable element and can become synonymous for the team’s success and strategy: Barcelona is known around the world as the team built on short, intricate passing and imagination, in baseball the Braves are built on pitching, etc.
The name of Atlanta’s entry into MLS is something fans have been discussing since the team was introduced in April 2014. Terminus Legion even put together its own survey and announced the results, which confused some members of Atlanta’s media into thinking the team had been named.
Some MLS team names come straight from ownership. Other can come from focus groups and research. Others are a combination. MLS works with the team during the process to ensure that the league’s goals and vision are being incorporated.
Once the name has been decided, league commissioner Don Garber must approve it, which doesn’t take long. Handler said the entire process usually takes nine months to a year.
The colors can also be chosen after market research and can be influenced by geography and the colors of other teams in the marketplace, as well as the rest of the teams in MLS. It’s usually better to not have MLS teams with competing colors, and the league tries to ensure that doesn’t happen. When Atlanta’s team was introduced, red, black and gold featured prominently in the announcement.
The team’s name coupled with the design of the logo can be done any number of ways, either through one firm taking the synthesized information and trying to turn it into an identifiable name and logo, or competing firms can be paired against each other. Handler said the better the direction and the more accurate the information the firm is given, usually the better the results will be.
“Usually what you get back is pretty special,” Handler said.
Sometimes competing logos will be shown to fans. Handler said that’s how NYCFC decided on its logo. Everything must then be trademarked, which can take a few months.
Deciding on the design of the jersey can take longer because Adidas, the league’s apparel partner, needs about a year to manufacture the kits. It takes that long because the colors and the look have to be just right before mass production can begin.
After everything has been decided, MLS Atlanta must decide how it wants to introduce its new identity. Will it introduce only the name? Handler said MLS Atlanta’s name hasn’t been finalized, but he’s confident that it will be ready by the Gold Cup semifinals.
If everything isn’t introduced when the name is unveiled, MLS Atlanta could slowly introduce the other elements — the icon, the jersey, secondary icon — as the 2017 inaugural season grows closer.
“The thing that runs throughout all of the experiences is to stay true to the fan base, to listen, learn and reflect and to be true to a process,” Handler said. “A process can be a powerful thing because it draws lots of people in, leads to collaboration, leads to a good back and forth, and iterating and challenging each other. Great things tend to come out of it.”
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