Utah team nickname/colors/logo, mascot (and related marketing)

[LadyStanley]

Pulling this out from mega thread.

(Feel free to quote your precious posts in other thread and expound on them here.)



Sounds like presser coming Friday with more details on potential names. Perhaps the definitive list of potentials will be revealed.

(I can see them using the word mark with NHL logo like they did for the arrival duds for the guysbat the draft.)

Click to read more...

 

[Neill99]

Will we know tomorrow what name and colours going to be?.

 

[StreetHawk]

Will we know tomorrow what name and colours going to be?.

He said in an earlier statement that he’d like to keep it similar to the Jazz. Though the Jazz also sport some different color jerseys like yellow, and something like the Canucks skate colors of yellow, red, black as well. Think the jazz jerseys are purple with light blue.

I do wonder if we see a bee themes name. As those purple and blue colors are like the reverse of Charlotte Hornets which are a teal and purple. So, any bug type logo may be seen as a variant of Charlotte’s logo. But if they went yellow then it would be fine.

 

[sneakytitz]

Will we know tomorrow what name and colours going to be?.

No, it's going to be a bracket deal/fan vote but more controlled than the Blue Jackets situation. He's not going to solicit names, he's going to present 8 and let the fans vote, round by round.

 

[Gnashville]

Keeping with the Jazz theme I think it’s
Utah Buzz
Black and Yellow with some Purple

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

Keeping with the Jazz theme I think it’s
Utah Buzz
Black and Yellow with some Purple

won't be Buzz (1994-2000) already exists as the baseball team and faced legal challenges from GT SO Bees was adopted forcing a name changes twice..... same owner owned New Britain in the EL before that city was forced out after the change to Hardware City.

 

[Malaka]

Keeping with the Jazz theme I think it’s
Utah Buzz
Black and Yellow with some Purple

The name “Buzz” will not fly with Mormons unless we’re talking about monster energy drinks lol

Actually the utah monsters would make sense

 

[BKIslandersFan]

Utah Hives? Utah is the Beehive State.

 

[Tie Probert]

The name “Buzz” will not fly with Mormons unless we’re talking about monster energy drinks lol

Actually the utah monsters would make senseI don'

I don't think Mormons do caffeine either.

 

[ponder719]

I still want them to buck all the trends and just have both teams be the Jazz, but my legit second choice (if he can get past sharing a name with a team his other team plays against, I won't go so far as to call them a rival) is the Utah Raptors. It has a legit connection to the area because the Utahraptor is a thing, it's a generally cool mascot, you can do whatever you want with the team colors depending on how cartoony you're willing to be, there's a lot to recommend it.

 

[Yukon Joe]

I still want them to buck all the trends and just have both teams be the Jazz, but my legit second choice (if he can get past sharing a name with a team his other team plays against, I won't go so far as to call them a rival) is the Utah Raptors. It has a legit connection to the area because the Utahraptor is a thing, it's a generally cool mascot, you can do whatever you want with the team colors depending on how cartoony you're willing to be, there's a lot to recommend it.

Hadn't considered the Utahraptor connection.

But I strongly suspect the team will not want to share a name with a team in another league. And in any event - because the Utahraptor is a legit name of a dinosaur any trademark granted to the team would be relatively narrow, and lots of people could get away with selling "Utah Raptor" merchandise without paying the team.

 

[Tawnos]

Utah Hives? Utah is the Beehive State.

Sounds like an allergic reaction.

 

[Roadrage]

If they want to continue with the Jazz theme, I think it will be Blizzard (with the 2 z's).

Utah Hives? Utah is the Beehive State.

Sounds like an allergic reaction or bad rash

 

[No Fun Shogun]

I don't think Mormons do caffeine either.

Their prohibition is against so-called "hot drinks," understood to be in reference to coffee and tea (even if iced). Sodas are allowed, and as a result soda fountain chains selling "dirty sodas" are a big thing along the Mormon corridor and especially in Utah itself.

 

[Yukon Joe]

I still liked the name "Utah Buzz" - combines with the whole honeybee imagery the state likes to use, plus the very simple fact that it rhymes with the Utah Jazz.

Complicated by the fact the local minor league baseball team, the Salt Lake Bees, was known as the Salt Lake Buzz form 1994-2000. USPTO search certainly reveals that there's no active registration for either Utah Buzz or Salt Lake Buzz, but the baseball team could potentially challenge a registration - and again even if granted the trademark would be relatively narrow.

Of the names that have been provisionally registered... Utah Outlaws seems a little hokey but you could do a lot with it. Utah HC - I kind of hated it when all these MLS teams tried to go with European-sounding names (and Real Salt Lake is one of the worst, since "real" means Royal in Spanish, which has zero meaning in SLC), but for some reason it would be completely unique in the NHL so I don't mind it.

 

[KevFu]

I'd imagine they wouldn't go with a Bee theme because Smith and the Millers are cordial and have been partners in ownership at various percentages on both the Jazz and Salt Lake Bees the entire time (although the Millers might be completely out on the Jazz now).

But Smith remains a minority investor in the Bees, and the Millers are trying to bring MLB to Salt Lake too. It stands to reason that the long time names of Bees/Buzz etc for baseball in Salt Lake would be the odds-on favorite to be the theme for naming an MLB team.

 

[Bucky_Hoyt]

I'm sticking with Racers. Snake/Flats references. Probably will be something silly like Yetis or Blizzard but a man can dream...

 

[RoyalAir]

I'm sticking with Racers. Snake/Flats references. Probably will be something silly like Yetis or Blizzard but a man can dream...

Utah Racers is a solid name, and the snake theme would be unique. The desert Utah/Moab colors (like what the Jazz used to wear) would be a great look.

The trick is to make sure that the logo doesn't favor the tentacle of the Kraken too closely.

 

[koteka]

Utah Yetis. Sounds good. Get a Gritty like mascot to appeal to the kids. YETIS will fit on the front of the jersey for plenty of third jersey options. Everyone likes Bigfoot like monsters. Only downside is you might not be able to sell team themed coffee mugs without a deal from Yeti.

 

[sneakytitz]

Utah Racers is a solid name, and the snake theme would be unique. The desert Utah/Moab colors (like what the Jazz used to wear) would be a great look.

The trick is to make sure that the logo doesn't favor the tentacle of the Kraken too closely.

Agreed. Shocked that snake imagery/names aren't used more often. Diamondbacks have had some iconic jerseys/logos.

 

[KevFu]

Agreed. Shocked that snake imagery/names aren't used more often. Diamondbacks have had some iconic jerseys/logos.

I think one of the reason snakes aren't used very often is because the "cons" list when decision making.

-- a snake mascot has no arms
-- a snake mascot with no arms can't throw things to the crowd.
-- a snake mascot costume would be incredibly ugly.
-- lots of children are scared of CUTE mascots, let alone an ugly snake one.
-- Snakes are massively high on the list of things people are afraid of
-- 3% of the population has a phobia of snakes.
-- HALF the population say that snakes give them anxiety.


So already, you're like "wait, there's really people who wouldn't go to the stadium/arena if the team was named after a snake?"

There's a reason the Diamondbacks are named after the description of a type of snake instead of the more popular term Rattlesnakes. There are people who get freaked out at the "rattlesnake pounce" clip in their hype video. They only show it like once a game. You can sometimes hear a visceral reaction in the crowd.


They also have a BOBCAT mascot (Chase Field was originally Bank One Ballpark, nicknamed The Bob." there's a plush snake mascot, too, but you rarely see him at games; you see the four Arizona legends plush guys waaaay more (Randy Johnson, Luis Gonzalez, Mark Grace and Matt Williams, like the Milwaukee sausages or Nationals' Presidents)

 

[sneakytitz]

I think one of the reason snakes aren't used very often is because the "cons" list when decision making.

-- a snake mascot has no arms
-- a snake mascot with no arms can't throw things to the crowd.
-- a snake mascot costume would be incredibly ugly.
-- lots of children are scared of CUTE mascots, let alone an ugly snake one.
-- Snakes are massively high on the list of things people are afraid of
-- 3% of the population has a phobia of snakes.
-- HALF the population say that snakes give them anxiety.


So already, you're like "wait, there's really people who wouldn't go to the stadium/arena if the team was named after a snake?"

There's a reason the Diamondbacks are named after the description of a type of snake instead of the more popular term Rattlesnakes. There are people who get freaked out at the "rattlesnake pounce" clip in their hype video. They only show it like once a game. You can sometimes hear a visceral reaction in the crowd.


They also have a BOBCAT mascot (Chase Field was originally Bank One Ballpark, nicknamed The Bob." there's a plush snake mascot, too, but you rarely see him at games; you see the four Arizona legends plush guys waaaay more (Randy Johnson, Luis Gonzalez, Mark Grace and Matt Williams, like the Milwaukee sausages or Nationals' Presidents)

I hear ya but I present the following: Fang, the Arizona Rattlers mascot, is one of the coolest in sports history. I mean look at how cool this dude looks:

 

[Spydey629]

I liked the Raptors idea, as they could go any of three routes - dinosaur, falcon/bird of prey, or jet, with an Air Force base in Ogden. Seeing the comments here, I get why that’d be more business trouble than it would be worth.

The insect track is hard, since the Jackets and Lightning both have bug mascots. That has to work as a happy family.

The Detroit Vipers laid the groundwork for how to a snake logo in hockey.

I’ve got no skin in the game, but I just want a mascot with an S at the end

 

[BKIslandersFan]

I liked the Raptors idea, as they could go any of three routes - dinosaur, falcon/bird of prey, or jet, with an Air Force base in Ogden. Seeing the comments here, I get why that’d be more business trouble than it would be worth.

The insect track is hard, since the Jackets and Lightning both have bug mascots. That has to work as a happy family.

The Detroit Vipers laid the groundwork for how to a snake logo in hockey.

I’ve got no skin in the game, but I just want a mascot with an S at the end

Wonder if Toronto Raptors will object.

Granted, New York Jets don't object to Winnipeg Jets.

 

[Lions67]

Yeti is a worse name than Kraken. So is Buzz. I know the team wants to stay away from religious themes, but not using Crusaders is a giant miss.