What's in a Name? A Case Study of NBA Basketball in Charlotte

Brand Equity of Charlotte Hornets

“…Rebranding is a vital component in the brand equity study; this research plan will review it; therefore, investigating previous research papers shows that there were not many resources and research articles that analyze the brand equity of the Charlotte Hornets. Moreover, previous studies have reported that the resulting low brand identity departed from the original Hornets brand but still felt steeped in the franchise's history [1]. This study focused on the aspect of the brand equity of the Charlotte Hornets and that the brand is still steeped in the past, in the "Charlotte Bobcats" era.…”

“…Prior studies have implied the research method of case studies and literature reviews. Samples were analyzed for brand equity, as previously reported by Collins and Heere in 2018, investigated different aspects of marketing strategies of the hornets [1]. This case study investigates different aspects of the marketing strategies of the hornets.…”

“…Therefore, through investigating previous research papers, there weren't a lot of resources and research articles that analyze the brand equity of the Charlotte Hornets. Moreover, previous studies have reported that the result of low brand recognition is running off from the original Hornets brand [1]. This study focused on the aspect of the brand equity of the Charlotte Hornets and that the brand is still steeped in the past, in the "Charlotte Bobcats" era.…”

“…According to the data provided by ESPN, during the 2014 to 2018 season, the Charlotte Hornets were ranked at the lowest place among all NBA teams and made no profits from attendance and broadcast. Regarding the previous study, the primary reason that caused Charlotte Hornets to receive low fan interest is that the team appeared in two cities [1]. This means that Hornets have occurred in two cities' history.…”

“…In addition, another recent study examines the concept of the rebranding of the Charlotte Bobcats. This empirical study investigates the impacts of rebranding, that it is possible to hurt the brand equity [1]. In this paper research was conducted on the development theories and applying SWOT (Strength, weakness, opportunity, and threats) data analysis to clarify this issue.…”