Baseball in Fort Wayne

Posts Tagged ‘branding’

The Fort Wayne TinCaps’ apple logo has earned honors as national Co-Logo of the Year by BallparkDigest.com. The emblem debuted in October 2008 and has become one of the most popular brands in all of Minor League Baseball.

“We liked the logo when we first announced the name change, and it’s been well-received,” TinCaps president Mike Nutter said. “The apple, the colors and the TinCaps name do a great job of conveying what this organization is all about: affordable fun for the whole family.”

The logo was shares the honor with the swashbuckler logo of the Shreveport-Bossier (La.) Captains of the independent American Association.

In making thier selection, BallParkDigest used several criterion. Among them, the logo should provide an “instant identity for a baseball team” and be “appropriate for a variety of uses” while portraying “the team’s marketing image in a positive, forceful way.” Finally, the logo should “transcend the local market.”

“We saw the appeal of the [TinCaps] brand during a June 2009 visit to Yellowstone National Park, where we saw not one, not two, but three different tourists wearing TinCaps apparel at different places in the park. That told us the logo was working.”

See Also:

• 2009 BPD Logos of the Year: Fort Wayne and Shreveport-Bossier - BallParkDigest
• Sky Design – the Atlanta firm who designed the TinCaps logo
• TinCaps’ Logo Named Best of the Year – TinCaps.com/MiLB.com

Related Baseball in Fort Wayne Posts:

• All About the Fort Wayne TinCaps
• TinCaps Have Top New Logo

The Fort Wayne TinCaps have introduced a wider selection of t-shirts and sweatshirts for children and adults, including the team’s full line of New Era on-field baseball caps

“We were crossing our fingers that the order would come so fans could get their fitted caps before Christmas,” said Assistant General Manager, Brian Schackow.

Read the full story at TinCaps.com.

Michael Summers over at Fort Wayne Reader asks, “What’s in a name?” In doing so, you consulted the Fort Wayne TinCaps staff as well as local blogs and bloggers to present the details and reaction of the new Minor League Baseball moniker and logo to the team formerly called the Wizards.

In addition to Baseball in Fort Wayne, Summers consulted Fort wayne News, WhatsGoingDown(Town) and Common Sensibilities. Kudos to Summers for reaching out to this growing niche of local bloggers and blog readers!

Read the article here.

The Parkview Field logo was released to the public today. Seen here on the rendering of Parkview Field at Harrison Square, Fort Wayne TinCaps General Manager Mike Nutter commented during the press conference that it is the work of local advertising agency, Boyden & Youngblutt. B&Y is also the agency of record for Parkview.

The TinCaps Press Conference

[Show as slideshow]

The TinCaps Uniforms

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Git Yer TinCaps Gear Here!

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The Fort Wayne TipCaps will unveil their new uniforms and 2009 coaching staff in addition to the Parkview Field logo today at Glenbrook Square’s Macy’s Court. Fort Wayne Journal Gazette is reporting that Doug Dascenzo is likely to return as the skipper.

Full updates to follow later this evening.

PlanetGrove calls the TinCaps logo his “favorite new Minor League Baseball team logo” while Deadspin and is hoping for a clash of the mascots featuring Nightmare Ant and The “Ill Tempered Apple” (who has yet to receive an official name).

Cathy D still hates everything about it. T. R. Slyder isn’t very fond of it.  Dan Vance reminds us that it could have been worse (and “you could shut up”). Captain Spaulding calls it “dumb”. Multiple times. Wes Gaines can’t wait to get a hat . . . and a tetnus shot.

I cannot believe the number of headlines and opinions that have been circulating about the renaming of the Fort Wayne Wizards to the Fort Wayne TinCaps. I have attempted to categorize and present (many of) them here.

Discussion on Reation to the Fort Wayne TinCaps Name:

• Fort Wayne TinCaps!
  [LIKES] (Baseball Think Factory)
• Johnny Appleseed Would Be Ashamed 
  [DISLIKES] (ScLoHo’s Really?)
• TinCaps
  [DISLIKES] (Ann’Re @ Home)
• The Something Aweful Forums
  [MIXED]
• TinCaps? Quirky, Yes, But Not Loving It – Yet
  [Willing to Give it a Chance] (News Sentinel)
• Fort Wayne Tin Caps Are You Serious?
  [Not Real Thrilled] (Decatur Indiana Community)
• Fort Wayne TinCaps
  [Not Real Thrilled] (Goateed Librarian)
• The TINCAPS???!!! God save us from Atlanta ad agencies 
  [ABSOLUTELY HATES] (Common Sensibilities) 
• TinCap Reaction
  (Rattler Radio - first to complain about capitalization!)
• TinCaps Not a Big Hit Right Off the Bat, But the Team Hopes it Will Grow on You
  (IndianasNewsCenter – longest headline award)
• TinCaps? Just Give it Some Time
  (Journal Gazette)
• Fomerly the Fort Wayne Wizards
  [Starting to Like] (My Two Cents Worth)
• The Fort Wayne Potheads
  [Not Real Fond) (Danno’s Dangerous Mind)

Discussion About TinCaps Mascots, Logos and Branding

• What’s Your TinCaps Mascot Idea?
  (WhatsGoingDownTown)
• Why Am I Thinking of a B-52′s Lyric?
  (Rattler Radio)
• Fans Weigh in on New Team Name
  (WANE TV)
• Tin Caps Story
  (Rattler Radio)
• Team Name Reactions from 16 Years Ago
  (WhatsGoingDownTown)
• Much Thought Went Into Team’s New Name
  (News Sentinel)

Discussion Announcing the Wizards Name Change to TinCaps

• Wizards Rename Selves TinCaps: It’s a Johnny Appleseed Reference 
  (Journal Gazette)
• Fort Wayne Dons TinCaps
  (Minor League Baseball)
• What’s a TinCap?
  (Friar John’s Blog)
• Fort Wayne No Longer Wizards
  (MadFriars)
• TinCaps New Name of Baseball Team
  (KPC News)
• Fort Wayne TinCaps Unveiled
  (OurSportsCentral)
• Wizards Becoeem TinCaps
  (Topix – Lots of Comments)
• FW Wizards Become “Tin Caps”
  (Annunciations)
• TinCaps to Take the Field
  (Journal Gazette)
• Fort Wayne Team Becomes TinCaps
  (eTruth)
• FW Minor League Team Changes Nickname to TinCaps
  (WTHI TV Terre Haute)
• Fort Wayne Gets a New Name
  (MLB Hub)
• Fort Wayne Gets a New Name
  (Planet Padres)
   

Discussion of Tin Cap and Johnny Appleseed Historical Relevance:

• The John Chapman Brand
  (Fort Wayne Observed)
• Controversy Surrounds TinCaps
  (WANE TV)
• New Baseball Team Name a Nod to Johnny Appleseed 
  (News Sentinel)
• Picking a Name Out of History
  (Journal Gazette)

Big Hat Tips to Angry White Boy (who despises the name) and the Spaulding’s at WGDT who reported the name well before the announcement. Props to Stephen at AroundFortWayne who has posted video and photos along with his analysis.

A lot of people have been coming to this blog via this post in search engine results lately. Apparently, there are a lot of folks interested in the new name of the Fort Wayne baseball team. Unfortunately, I don’t have that answer.

Curious minds can find a few posts on other blogs that have done some domain registration digging and followed up on some “leaks” but I have chosen not to post anything until I hear it directly from the team and/or have permission to disclose the info.

For the record, I have neither of the two.

I’m anxiously awaiting the official word as much as you are. Personally, I hope they stick with Wizards and do another revamp of the branding much like was done in 1999 (I think that was the year).

Thoughts anyone?