1 00:00:00,170 --> 00:00:01,620 - Like the new logo or not, 2 00:00:01,620 --> 00:00:04,810 the NFL's Washington Commanders have bigger brand problems 3 00:00:04,810 --> 00:00:06,210 beyond a new team name. 4 00:00:06,210 --> 00:00:08,047 I'm Jeff Beer and this is Fast Company's 5 00:00:08,047 --> 00:00:09,827 "Brand Hit and Miss of the Week". 6 00:00:11,070 --> 00:00:13,330 Just a quick note that we're trying out a new format 7 00:00:13,330 --> 00:00:16,070 where we're picking a hit or a miss every week 8 00:00:16,070 --> 00:00:17,480 so we can dive a little deeper 9 00:00:17,480 --> 00:00:19,910 in the precious minutes that we have together. 10 00:00:19,910 --> 00:00:22,520 So this week we've got a miss 11 00:00:22,520 --> 00:00:26,500 and it goes to the NFL's newly named Washington Commanders. 12 00:00:26,500 --> 00:00:27,333 Now you may think 13 00:00:27,333 --> 00:00:29,270 I'm just jumping on the negative bandwagon here, 14 00:00:29,270 --> 00:00:30,820 thinking that "commander" sounds like 15 00:00:30,820 --> 00:00:32,830 something movie producers might come up with 16 00:00:32,830 --> 00:00:35,750 when they don't wanna pay the NFL any licensing fees. 17 00:00:35,750 --> 00:00:38,450 But no, the miss here really is twofold. 18 00:00:38,450 --> 00:00:41,000 But first is simply just the roll out. 19 00:00:41,000 --> 00:00:43,310 You had one job. Keep it secret. 20 00:00:43,310 --> 00:00:46,470 Now rumors have been swirling around DC for months, 21 00:00:46,470 --> 00:00:48,240 yet the night before the big reveal 22 00:00:48,240 --> 00:00:51,840 a local DC news helicopter managed to zoom a camera shot in 23 00:00:51,840 --> 00:00:55,340 through the team store window to confirm those rumors. 24 00:00:55,340 --> 00:00:57,720 While "Commanders" may not be your cup of tea, 25 00:00:57,720 --> 00:00:58,690 it's important to remember 26 00:00:58,690 --> 00:01:00,840 that team brands are built over time. 27 00:01:00,840 --> 00:01:03,750 When Toronto decided to tap into "Jurassic Park" mania 28 00:01:03,750 --> 00:01:06,770 to name its new NBA franchise back in the mid 90s, 29 00:01:06,770 --> 00:01:09,590 it was widely mocked, and right so. 30 00:01:09,590 --> 00:01:11,350 And that was before Twitter. 31 00:01:11,350 --> 00:01:14,680 Fast forward a couple decades and it's a beloved franchise 32 00:01:14,680 --> 00:01:16,480 with insanely passionate fans 33 00:01:16,480 --> 00:01:19,800 who now actively embrace that purple dino heritage. 34 00:01:19,800 --> 00:01:21,400 Here's a thought exercise. 35 00:01:21,400 --> 00:01:24,120 Take a look at the list of other NFL teams 36 00:01:24,120 --> 00:01:25,830 and think about what the reaction would be 37 00:01:25,830 --> 00:01:28,390 if they were revealed as new names today. 38 00:01:28,390 --> 00:01:30,070 The New York Jets are called the Jets 39 00:01:30,070 --> 00:01:32,320 because they play near an airport? 40 00:01:32,320 --> 00:01:33,980 What the hell is a Buffalo Bill? 41 00:01:33,980 --> 00:01:35,220 What's a Packer? 42 00:01:35,220 --> 00:01:36,880 There are no lions in Detroit. 43 00:01:36,880 --> 00:01:39,450 The actual problem with the Washington Commanders' name 44 00:01:39,450 --> 00:01:41,550 isn't really a name problem at all, 45 00:01:41,550 --> 00:01:43,130 but actually deeper issues 46 00:01:43,130 --> 00:01:45,620 with the brand that it's been brought in to represent. 47 00:01:45,620 --> 00:01:47,580 Owner Daniel Snyder had long vowed 48 00:01:47,580 --> 00:01:50,520 to never change the team's former racist name 49 00:01:50,520 --> 00:01:54,000 and only did so under intense pressure from major sponsors 50 00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:57,380 and corporate partners like FedEx, Nike, and PepsiCo. 51 00:01:57,380 --> 00:02:00,560 This came after years of disingenuous PR campaigns 52 00:02:00,560 --> 00:02:03,630 trying to position Redskins as heritage 53 00:02:03,630 --> 00:02:06,030 instead of insanely racist. 54 00:02:06,030 --> 00:02:10,360 Last July, the NFL itself fined the team $10 million 55 00:02:10,360 --> 00:02:13,000 after a year long investigation into reports of 56 00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:15,680 the club's rampant culture of sexual harassment. 57 00:02:15,680 --> 00:02:18,420 And on the day after the new team name was announced, 58 00:02:18,420 --> 00:02:20,060 the Congressional House Oversight Committee 59 00:02:20,060 --> 00:02:21,970 held a round table on Capitol Hill 60 00:02:21,970 --> 00:02:23,650 on the team's toxic culture 61 00:02:23,650 --> 00:02:25,390 and how the team and league handled it. 62 00:02:25,390 --> 00:02:28,660 Even the coolest team name you could ever conceive, 63 00:02:28,660 --> 00:02:31,850 something so good I can't even imagine what it would be, 64 00:02:31,850 --> 00:02:33,730 can't gloss over all that. 65 00:02:33,730 --> 00:02:35,730 Go Commies! 66 00:02:35,730 --> 00:02:37,980 That's it for this week, thanks for watching.