The National Football League’s Washington Football Team, deep in the midst of organizational turmoil, this week have initiated its first comprehensive advertising campaign since its recent move to retire its prior Redskins moniker and use the interim generic identity.
Though a new permanent team name and logo remains in development, the franchise has created a campaign for this season that will celebrate the temporary identity. The ad campaign, entitled “No name but TEAM,” will include a wide array of broadcast, print, online, out-of-home and social media components, each celebrating core concepts of family, culture, and character.
“It was imperative that we develop a campaign that brings together the [Washington, District of Columbia, area] and our fans, along with featuring the new, respected coaching staff and roster chockfull of young, exciting players,” said Stephen Perkins, Washington Football Team vice president of marketing.
“When we considered how to move forward creatively, we wanted to ensure we communicated that, to us, a team is not just its star players; it’s everyone on the roster, on the sidelines, behind the scenes, and all who work to unite us on Sundays and beyond, and that starts with our fans,” Perkins said.
A key component of the campaign will be directing fans to a website, washingtonjourney.com, in which fans can submit ideas for new team names, uniforms, or logos.
The team has not disclosed the creative agencies that have aided the effort.
The marketing campaign comes as the franchise, set to begin its 2020 regular season on September 13, remains engulfed in conflict. The NFL recently took control of an ongoing investigation of the team’s conduct and culture following multiple damning reports alleging widespread sexual harassment.
Team owner Dan Snyder, meanwhile, faces rising pressure from the team’s minority owners for Snyder to sell the team. Snyder also recently made a pair of senior executive hires in an attempt to reshape the organizational culture, bringing in Jason Wright as president and longtime colleague Terry Bateman as executive vice president and chief marketing officer.
