 |
| The new "Diamond C" |
The Cleveland Indians will change their name and brand identity after the 2021 season, after which they will be known as the Cleveland Guardians.
The team says that the new name was reached after sifting through 1,198 name options and over 140 hours of interviews with fans, community leaders and front office personnel. Over 40,000 fans were surveyed.
It also engaged a number of representatives of the Native American community, "including local and national organizations, leading researchers, and individuals willing to share their personal stories."
In addition to the new name and team logo, the team will also replace the "Block C" on its caps and uniforms with what it calls a "Diamond C," an evolution that "respects the tradition and heritage of Cleveland Baseball."
"Cleveland has and always will be the most important part of our identity," said team owner and chairman Paul Dolan. “While ‘Indians’ will always be a part of our history, our new name will help unify our fans and city as we are all Cleveland Guardians.”
Some well-honed communications strategies typically deployed in an activist situation must be set aside when the activist is also the founder of the company. Such situations require a more tailored response: one that respects the founder’s credibility without conceding the company’s future, addresses shareholders’ financial interests while acknowledging questions of legacy, and anticipates that the fight may be as personal and persistent as it is strategic.
Molly Fogarty, who rose to head of corporate affairs & sustainability at Nestle during a nearly 23-year stint, will join Brunswick Group as a partner in DC on Sept. 14.
Senior leaders have been exiting newly combined agencies since the wave of integrations started—the kind of departures that don't always make headlines but show up in who's running client accounts six months later.
Why CEO visibility is no longer optional as a communications tactic.
The “waiting period” that was once set aside for CEOs to develop their strategies before facing media scrutiny may be better used for corporate comms leaders get to know their CEO and what his or her short-term priorities will be.
