The Minnesota Twins began playing in 1960 at Metropolitan Stadium, and in 1982 moved into the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, where they won World Series Championships in 1987 and 1991.
In 2010 the Twins moved back outdoors to Target Field and experienced tremendous fan enthusiasm and attendance. However, over the last 4 years the team has struggled on the field and fans have lessened their commitment to the brand – especially in attendance.
Following the 2014 season we were engaged to develop a Brand Strategy that would fuel the team’s growth by expanding and deepening the Twins brand relationship with fans, corporate sponsors and the broader Minnesota community.
We began by understanding existing Twins and MLB research, and the history of the Twins and Minnesota region. Next, we guided a cross-functional team, including FOX Sports North and KTWIN Radio, through significant qualitative and quantitative research in order to understand fans in the Minnesota region. This included understanding how different segments of sports fans currently related to the Twins and competitor brands, and then identifying insights into fan’s underlying needs and motivations. Next, we determined how we wanted the Twins brand to evolve in the future, and created an emotional Brand Promise that was compelling, believable and distinct in order to drive growth that was consistent with the Business Strategy.
We then consulted on an on-going basis to implement the Brand Strategy across all touch points, including marketing, communications, sales, corporate partners, community outreach, etc.
Following the 2015 the season we led qualitative research with fans to understand their perceptions of our implementation and how we should continue evolving the brand in the future.
Engaged with:
Core Team:
- Dave St. Peter, President
- Laura Day, EVP, Business Development
- Nancy O’Brien, VP Brand Marketing
- Brandon Johnson, Senior Manager, Business Strategy & Analytics
- Will Delaney, Manager, Advertising
Brand Strategy Team:
- Administration: Kip Elliott, Dan Starkey, Mary Giesler
- Ballpark Ops: Matt Hoy, Larry DiVito, Patrick Forsland, Gary Glawe, Dave Horsman
- Baseball Communications: Dustin Morse
- Baseball Operations: Rob Antony, Kate Townley
- Community Relations: Bryan Donaldson
- Corporate Communications/Broadcast: Kevin Smith, Chris Iles
- Corporate Partnerships: Jeff Jurgella, Amelia Johnson
- Finance: Andy Weinstein, Bud Hanley
- Human Resources: Raenell Dorn
- Marketing: Miguel Ramos, Julie Okland
- Target Field Events: David Christie
- Technology: John Avenson, Wade Navratil
- Ticket Office: Paul Froehle, Mike Stiles
- Ticket Sales and Service: Mike Clough, Eric Hudson, Rob Malec, Scott O’Connell
- Twins Productions: Joe Pohlad, Sam Henschen
- Authentic: Bob Nelson
- FOX Sports North: Mike Dimond
- KTWIN: Sam Gagliardi
- MNN: Penny Meier
- Periscope: Charlie Callahan, Brien Spanier