NHL's Upcoming Seattle Franchise Says Fan Comments Will Play Role In Branding Decisions

Now that the Stanley Cup playoffs have reached the conference finals stage, the fans of the remaining quartet of clubs are giddy to see if their heroes’ names will end up etched on the sport’s top prize. Come 2021, supporters of the impending franchise in Seattle will foster notions that perhaps one day relatively soon their club will make similar postseason noise. Ahead of that, they have begun to benefit from a fan portal through which management is seeking their advice on the burgeoning identity of the Washington organization, including the squad’s branding.

The overseers have yet to select a name for what will become the National Hockey League’s 32nd team, and it is that major unknown that will stand out to many portal visitors. Poll questions inquire on what sort of nickname and color scheme fans will want for the upcoming Western Conference addition, yielding thousands of comments since the portal’s Thursday debut. While organizational inquiries about a franchise’s name are nothing new, the explosion of the internet and social media figure to make this latest experiment a fun time to be in the Seattle camp’s marketing department.

"This city deserves a world-class arena and they're about to get it."#ReturnToHockey #NHLSeattle pic.twitter.com/CcvKIHdbkj

— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) April 23, 2019

Since accounts have stated that Seattle brass might announce the team name in the fall, the fan portal figures to receive even more attention as zealous residents yearn for hockey’s eventual NHL return to their city. (Having an affinity for alliteration, we would not object to their being called the Seattle Sockeyes, and would gladly welcome a blue-and-red color scheme.) Since so many people have already responded, odds are that the marketing team members might find themselves sleepless in Seattle so as to send along responses to the owners.

https://twitter.com/SeattleNHL_/status/1119365462138056704

We certainly do not know if the Seattle Whatevers will come to have the sort of immediate success that the Vegas Golden Knights, the NHL’s recent newbie, has enjoyed, but no matter their initial results, their employers deserve a nod for stoking curiosity. In looking to brand the team, they will definitely not please everyone, but it is good that they are giving consideration to what patrons want to see. Since we have recently covered instances where the powers that be failed to give much, if any, attention to what the public thinks, this example of inclusivity will likely assist in selling ample merch and filling the Seattle Center Arena no matter how many victories the players achieve in their infancy.