Monday, March 06, 2006

Takeovers Dilute Branding

San Francisco is home to the baseball Giants, who play their home games at (Insert Name Here) Park. The ballpark has had more name changes than Prince, which dilutes the value of the brand and irritates the heck out of fans.

The Giants sold the naming rights to their stadium to Pacific Bell in 2000, which three years later became SBC Park when that company bought Pacific Bell, and this year it will become AT&T Park, as SBC bought that company but assumed its identity.

Today we have the news that AT&T is buying BellSouth. So we'll assume for now that the national company won't change the San Francisco Park name, but what will it do with BellSouth Park, the home of the Chattanooga Lookouts?

I've had it with these corporate-franchise marriages lasting as long as your average Hollywood affair (remember poor Enron Field?). Ballparks, stop selling out to dot-coms or telecoms that are likely to fold or be sold within two years.

Posted By John Gartner at 11:25 AM
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