Greater Cleveland Sports Commission · Cleveland, Ohio
Brand
Strategy
new look, same mission
The Sports Commission’s accomplishments had outgrown its brand. As Director of Marketing and Communications, I led a full rebrand, from research to launch.
My role
Director of Marketing and Communications
Timeline
2019 to 2021
Launch
March 4, 2021, live on WKYC Channel 3 (NBC) and Bally Sports Ohio
Services
Research, brand strategy, identity, messaging, web and signage
The challenge
Make the brand as strong as the mission.
An outdated look, inconsistent materials and no established voice left audiences confused about the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission and everything it had accomplished. There were no brand standards for our team, partners or events to follow.
The play
Research first, then a brand built to last.
I started with an assessment of the existing brand and a review of peer organizations, then ran focus groups with the audiences we needed to reach. That research shaped the positioning, messaging and voice.
Working with our internal team, I led every piece of the new brand, including the logo and visual identity, messaging and voice, the organization’s first-ever brand guidelines, a redesigned clevelandsports.org, signage and a new mission video.
We launched on the biggest night of our year, the Greater Cleveland Sports Awards, our annual fundraiser, broadcast live on NBC affiliate WKYC Channel 3 and Bally Sports Ohio. The rebrand led into the largest Sports Awards in the event’s history.
The final score
What the rebrand delivered
148%
more new website users in the first three months after launch
193%
more website page views in the first three months after launch
$600K+
netted at the largest Sports Awards in history
$5.9M
in publicity value from the launch
182.8M
in earned media audience from the launch
20.8K
households watched the launch live
Website, before
Website, after
Print ad, before
Postcard, after
Your move.
Ready for your own big-stage moment?
