Courtesy of the Charlotte Observer
Well a lot of the people who questioned the change to the Hornets have been silenced. The skeptics wondered about whether or not our claims of a resurgence of fan support would be validated when the time came. Boy was it!
Here are some quotes from Pete Guelli (Executive Vice President and chief sales and marketing officer)
“New ticket sales are up 59 percent from last year.”
“What’s really encouraging about that is the vast majority of those people have taken advantage of the two-year season ticket program,”
“The number of fans signing up for the two-year plan accounted for more than 50 percent of new sales.”
“We’re very close on a number of new sponsorships,” Guelli said. “There are many, many companies that have not been interested for a number of reasons that are entertaining dialogue around the return of the Hornets.
“That’s where it all starts. If you can get in, have a constructive dialogue. This rebrand has opened up a number of doors that had remained closed since Mr. (Robert) Johnson purchased the team.”
“A slow window turned into a hot sales opportunity,” Guelli said. “The sales in our team stores have doubled this summer from where they were last year.”
“The universal support has created a lot of momentum internally and you can only achieve these numbers if you have motivated employees and this rebrand has helped us do that,”
-rebrand will cost 3 Million
“We’re almost there right now,” Guelli said. “The fact that (ticket sales) are going to occur over a two-year period … When we calculate those numbers on top of what we know we’re going to do from sponsors, we’re almost there, so moving forward we’ll be looking at upside.”
We’ve also been told that the “Buzz City” apparel has 100% turn around in the team store. This is extremely encouraging to see this type of support for this franchise considering that just last year we came in 24th for home attendance when compared to the other teams in the NBA. Now we are in the top 10 for ticket sales in the NBA and the season hasn’t even started yet.
RUMORS:
*What you are about to read has not been validated by the Charlotte Bobcats organization*
Once again we have some more news from “the inside”. This has been told to us by a couple people very close to the rebranding process.
They said that at this point in the process a logo has not been chosen yet but they do have 8 potentials for the Hornets. The majority of these and the most popular ones are sticking to original Hugo look but with a little bit more aggressive twist, a more muscular Hugo with “angrier” eyes and expression. Which is refreshing considering the complete “sissification” that happened to the Hornets brand in New Orleans. They realize the value of the brand loyalty and recognition and don’t want to ruin that.
Some logos are completely different but are not getting as strong support as those similar to the original Hugo.
To answer the question that has been bothering so many people. Pete Guelli also said that they have not finalized a color scheme but for the time being are using the Carolina Blue for legal reason not yet fixed with the league.
Now our source has stated that most of the design proposals are sticking with the TEAL & PURPLE as the main colors and may use the Carolina Blue for small “details”. This will give them ability to make more apparel designs.
Again this is all hearsay. Take all this with a grain of salt.
STAY TUNED! We will bring you the BUZZ as soon as we hear
Bring Back the Buzz is now the Crown Club’s blog. We’re Charlotte’s Hornets fan club, 500+ members strong. Join for $33 to get free food at every home-game TEALgate at The Local, away trips and watch parties, or rep the club with gear made by Hornets fans.
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With the new season fast approaching Scotty and I are looking for a fresh perspective to join our “Bring Back The Buzz” Blog Team.
