Are The Colts The Model NFL Bran.

Jon Wertheim's great piece on Colts owner Jim Irsay this past week in Sports Illustrated has stirred a bit of a debate as to whether the Indianapolis Colts could now be the model franchise for the NFL.. Without the flash and dash, and the oversized suites and prices, of the Dallas Cowboys, or the tradition and big market cache of the New York Giants, or even the celebrity buzz of the Miami Dolphins, the Colts have hit on a number of areas…community, tradition, consistency, even social media growth, that has somehow landed them near the best in show of the NFL. Now do they have a national footprint overall in terms of licensing and branding or even P.? No. What they have done is an amazing job of one of the first rules (and one of the most forgotten rules) of solid brand growth: take care of your core. They have steadily made themselves the NFL team of choice of the Midwest, through grssroots outreach, consistent branding and a proven commitment to company success. Then they have the second piece. The breakthrough star that transcends the sport. Maybe when you have Peyton Manning you don’t have to seek out Good Morning America or Dancing With The Stars, his marketing team does that for you. But from Oreos to direct TV, manning is as marketable a face and personality as there is in sports today. They have consistency of brand. If you live in Indiana, you know who the owner is, the president is, and who the coach is. If someone leaves they are replaced by a person who fits the system, and the system works. That is a rarity in today's system of immediate gratification. The colors and the logo remain the same. No third uniform or color helmets. the Colts, through Baltimore and Indy, have remained the same. They are consistent with the media. No flash, no games, no innovation. The Colts provide what they need to, service the media and stay consistent with their policies. They speak with one voice. Whether its Irsay the owner or president Bill Polian, everyone pulls from the same script. less drama, more progress that way. Lastly, even by being traditional, they found ways to embrace social media, connect with fans outside the stadium, and drive interest and revenue through a solid, and consistent web 2.0 campaign. “My Colts” is not a flashy program, but it provides information, access, and special features that many teams should follow. Not huge bells and whistles, but it is a program that gives fans what they want and in return they draw a following.

Now would all this work if the Colts were 2-1. Not to the extent it does when they are on the verge of another title, but it seeds the ground for good times and bad. One of the biggest problems is that in lean years, and sports are cyclical, brands forget their core messages, their core fans and their core ideas. By having a solid core, the Colts, to the surprise of many, might just be the business model all should follow.