Review of a Portland Trail Blazer Game

Portland Trailblazer Game - Reaction Paper

Rebecca Howard

April 12th 2018

From a marketing perspective, my first impressions following the Portland Trailblazer game were very positive. I really felt like all my five senses were engaged from start to finish, whilst not being too distracted from the main event of the game itself. To hear first-hand the different thought processes that the marketing and branding team implement really aided my understanding of the different topics we have covered throughout this semester.

One thing that particularly stood out to me as done well by the Blazers is the merchandise. As soon as you enter the vicinity of the Moda centre you notice the amount of distinctive red and black clothing and accessories being exhibited by fans from all demographics. We touched on how some sports teams change the players uniform and therefore merchandise very dramatically from season to season, however this does not work for Portland fans who favour classic looks, sticking particularly to the red and black colours. Additionally, the pinwheel logo stands out well and is the only emblem used by the Blazers other than the diagonal stripes as seen on the player’s uniforms. I personally found this information surprising and it would be interesting to understand exactly what it is about Portland fans that makes them favour classic looking merchandise, especially when taking into consideration Portland’s love for diversity and self-expression. However, from a personal standpoint, I like the simplicity of the clothing; I think it is tastefully done and has a classy look to it. This is supported by a price point that is on the more expensive side without being too out of range. As Nike acquired the rights as the sponsor to all NBA teams, it is more luck than a marketing strategy but I think the strong ties Portland has to Nike help solidify the Blazer’s as a part of Portland’s identity

I was interested to learn that the marketing and branding team for the Blazers adopt an approach which ultimately allows the fans to decide what and who they want the Blazers to be. An example of this that we learnt, was the process of showing fans a multitude of photos depicting different emotions and settings, letting the fans choose their favourite in terms of what they feel best represents the team. Not only does this indicate what might prove popular in terms of the sale of merchandise, but perhaps more importantly it gives marketing and branding an identity that they can work with, providing direction for other communications. We learnt that ninety percent of fans chose the huddle of players as their favourite image, despite group images often not proving as popular as those featuring a team’s most popular/successful player. Not too surprisingly, this highlights the value of unity and community spirit that resonates amongst Portland citizens.