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Popular Culture Review
score as many points as possible. The concepts of organization and
compartmentalization were indicative of the Americanized version of football.
These, along with the design philosophy of this era, we argue, may have
influenced the aesthetic features of the teams’ logos.
Logos. Scholars have studied the marketability of particular logo designs
with regard to their effectiveness in producing economic value. In an effort to
determine aesthetic variables that produced the most significant consumer
appeals, Henderson and Cote (1998) analyzed 195 logos, calibrated on 13 design
characteristics, and categorized logos meeting high-recognition, low-investment,
and high-image communication objectives. High-recognition logos (accurate
recognition created by high investment) were found to have natural, harmonious,
and moderately elaborate designs, and low-investment logos (false sense of
knowing a positive effect) were less natural and harmonious (Henderson &
Cote, 1998). As one of the main vehicles for communicating image, cutting
through clutter to gain attention, and speeding recognition of the product or
company, logos were found to affect evaluations of a company. The extent of
affect transfer depended on the nature of the affect (positive or negative), how
intense the affective reactions are, and how closely the logo is associated with
the product or company, through either repeated pairings or shared associations
or meanings. The best way for corporations to ensure more affectively pleasing
logos, according to Henderson and Cote (1998), was to select moderate designs.
Gladden and Funk (2002) have shown that the team logo is an important
part of brand association and team support. The authors developed a “Team
Association Model Scale” that identifies dimensions of brand associations. One
of the key areas in the model is the “attribute” of a team with the logo design as
one of attributes. Statements representing logo design on the scale include “I
like the colors of my favorite team,” “I like the logo of my favorite team,” and
“my favorite team’s uniforms are attractive.”
Lewis (2001) identified two types of fans and these differences affect the
relocation of a team. One of the types of fans lives in the original city and their
perception of a team’s relocation is like the death of “part of their identity.” For
fans whose allegiance to the team is not based on where the team plays,
franchise relocation is not nearly as difficult an experience. Instead, their
individual identity is called in question only