Date of Graduation
5-2015
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration
Degree Level
Undergraduate
Department
Marketing
Advisor/Mentor
Kopp, Steven W.
Committee Member
Soster, Robin L.
Abstract
Even though it is not new, the debate over the use of the brand and logo by the Washington Redskins has come to the forefront of the collective consciousness. With this debate in mind, I completed a study to answer two questions. Should the Redskins change its brand and logo? And must the Redskins change their brand and logo? In order to complete the study, a survey was conducted with undergraduate students that gathered more than 300 complete responses. After gathering and analyzing the data, I was able to draw conclusions. The first conclusion being that the Washington Redskins should change their brand and logo. Not only did the participants perceive the logo to be below average, thus hurting the brand equity, but they also noted that the use of racially offensive logos was not supported by the public, thus hurting overall consumer perceptions. These two factors mean that the Redskins will likely be better off financially if they change their brand and logo sooner rather than later, as it seems like only a matter of time before the public pressure will be too great. For the second question their appeared to be some, but not enough support point toward the Redskins being forced to change. While people did not believe that companies, and more specifically sports franchises, should use racially offensive images, they also indicated that companies should be able to use whatever logo they see fit. However, while the Redskins’ logo may not be illegal, it seems possible that public and financial pressure may lead the Washington Redskins owner to change.
Citation
Benson, J. (2015). The Washington Redskins: A brand in crisis. Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/mktguht/23
