In August 2010 the Texas Rangers were purchased out of bankruptcy by Pittsburgh sports lawyer and entrepreneur, Chuck Greenberg, and Hall of Fame pitcher, and Texan native, Nolan Ryan. Realizing the timing was critical to expanding and deepening the Rangers brand relationship with fans, corporate sponsors and the broader Texas community, we were engaged to guide a cross-functional team to develop a Brand Strategy that would fuel the team’s growth.
To develop the Brand Strategy we guided a cross-functional team, including FOX Sports Southwest and ESPN Radio, through significant qualitative and quantitative research in order to understand sports fans in the Texas region. This included understanding how fans currently related to the Rangers and competitor brands, and then identifying insights into fan’s underlying needs and motivations. Next, we determined how we wanted the Rangers brand to evolve in the future, and created an emotional Brand Promise that was compelling, believable and distinct in order to drive growth with fans, corporate sponsors and the broader Texas community that was consistent with the Business Strategy
We were then retained to lead the implementation of the Brand Strategy across all touch points, including sales, marketing, corporate partners, ballpark operations, in park entertainment, community relations, etc.
Late in the season we led qualitative research with fans to understand their perceptions of the implementation and how we should continue evolving the brand in the future.
Engaged with:
Core Team
- Chuck Greenberg, Managing Partner & CEO
- Nolan Ryan, President
- Rick George, COO
- Kellie Fischer, CFO & EVP
- Jim Sundberg, Sr. Executive Vice President
- Rob Matwick, EVP Ballpark Operations
- John Blake, EVP Communications
- Todd Taylor, EVP Sales & Marketing
- Jay Miller, Senior Vice President
- Chuck Morgan, Vice President, In Park Entertainment
- Karin Morris, Executive Director, Foundation & Director of Hispanic Marketing
- Breon Dennis, Sr. Director, Baseball Programs, Youth Ballpark & Corporate Clinics
Brand Strategy Team
- Jon Daniels, General Manager
- Thad Levine, Assistant General Manager
- Terry Turner, Vice President, Human Resources
- Kelly Calvert, Asst. Vice President, Marketing
- Rush Olson, Creative Director, Media
- Jim Cochrane, Vice President, Corporate Sales
- Paige Farragut, Vice President, Suite Sales & Services
- Sherry Flow-Hurd, Senior Director, Promotions & Special Events
- Taunee Taylor, Assistant Vice President, Player & Community Relations
- Grady Raskin, Vice President, Business Development
- Kate Jett, Associate Counsel
- Rainer Uhlir, Senior Creative Director, Graphic Design
- Machelle Noel, Finance Systems Analyst
- Ashleigh Greathouse, Executive Asst. to John Blake (previously Community Relations Asst.)
- Katie Crawford, Ticket Sales Coordinator & Fan Ambassador
Non-Texas Rangers
- Jon Heidtke, Senior Vice President/General Manager, Fox Sports Southwest
- Mike Anastassiou, Executive Producer, Fox Sports Southwest
- Mary Hyink, Director of Marketing, Fox Sports Southwest
- Pete Dits, VP & General Manager, ESPN Dallas
- Tom Lee, Program Director, ESPN Dallas