ASSOCIATED WORK REACHES CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH OF NATIONAL ONLINE SPORTS MARKETING COMPETITION
Team Logo Earns Worldwide Support in CNBC Sports Biz Tournament
 WICHITA, Kan. – April 3, 2007 – Out of 252 eligible teams in the United States, a logo designed by Associated for the Wichita Wingnuts survived the selection process and then won five head-to-head matches to reach the final round, determining who had the best logo in minor league baseball according to baseball enthusiasts globally who voted on the contest at CNBC’s Sports Biz blog.
Despite representing a new, independent team with no established fan base and no major league affiliation, the team first gained the attention of CNBC Sports Business Reporter and Sports Biz blogger Darren Rovell, a lifelong minor league baseball enthusiast who selected the best 64 logos in the country to participate in his tournament. He seeded the teams based on his personal impressions on how likely the logo was to win the contest.
“It is very original. The hardware, font, eyebrows and stare set a tone that I’ve never seen in a baseball logo before,” said Rovell.
Associated, an advertising agency located in the Old Town district of Wichita, was selected to secretly work with the team’s ownership group to design a logo that was unveiled at the same time as the team’s name and on-field leadership. The logo, seeded as a 12 by Rovell, beat four higher seeded teams in the tournament reinforcing the logo’s mass appeal.
“From the minute we announced our team name and logo, the city has been abuzz,” said Josh Robertson, General Manager of the Wichita Wingnuts. “The response we got from the city of Wichita and beyond in this contest validates what we’ve felt all along – the Wingnut logo is unique, edgy and exciting.”
To visually establish the tone and feel of a sports team, Associated applied the same principles it uses for clients in other sectors to meet the challenge.
“We work hard to make sure that all of our work is bold, unique and indicative of who our clients really are and what they want to accomplish. We always hope for a ‘homerun,’ if you will,” said Mike Snyder, Chief Executive Officer of Associated Advertising.
“It was exciting to see the community and the worldwide CNBC audience react to our work,” said Joe Robertson, a Wichita-native, Associated’s Creative Director and designer of the Wingnut logo. “The huge voting response to the logo, round after round, speaks highly to the logo’s effectiveness to connect and elicit a response. “
The Wingnuts logo, the only American Association team in the tournament, beat five teams in the CNBC tournament; the Inland Empire 66ers, the Savannah Sand Gnats, the Trenton Thunder, the Dayton Dragons and the Clinton Lumberkings, which are established teams with known fan bases and affiliations with major league baseball teams. The eventual tournament champions, the Southern Illinois Miners, a three seed from Marion, Illinois, are an independent baseball club.
ABOUT ASSOCIATED
Associated is one of Kansas’ leading marketing, public relations and advertising agencies. Our professionals create great work delivered with a strong dose of heartland values and service. We believe that building brands takes hard work, creativity, trusted client relationships and the courage to stand for something. More, we understand the balance of great execution, budgets and results.
At Associated, we strive to be UNEXPECTED in our ideas, UNCOMPLICATED in our service, and UNTETHERED in our approach to strategy and execution.
Visit us on the Web at www.unexpectedagency.com.
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