Houston Oilers: Now is the Time to Rebrand

Numbers? It’s hollow AF. No real connection.

Houston wasn’t small when the Oilers were here. Houston wasn’t small when the Rockets were winning championships. Houston isn’t so big that they can’t connect to the Texans on a real emotional level… they can’t because the Texans have done jack **** to actually create something real/lasting.

The Texans brand, other than replacing the void the Oilers left at a time when the NFL is the most popular league in the world, is hollow AF… and deep down, you know that.

 

25 years. I would say Atleast HALF of the Great Houston Population that has NO emotional connection with the Oilers, if not more.

 

You’re really not getting it. It has nothing to do with the current cities past.

Houston has the ability to emotionally connect with sports teams. They did it with the Oilers within 15 years (which remains the pinnacle of attachment). They went full in on the Rockets not just for the championships but for the subsequent 5 years (which includes the start of this website). They’re still in love with the Astros in this golden era.

20+ years of Texans football in a market that would bend over backwards for them. And still no real emotional attachment. As a native Houstonian, I’m happy that Sundays no longer could possibly stress me out or depress me in any way. When a generational QB like Watson decided he was done with this team, I initially couldn’t believe it… but it ultimately didn’t hurt. That is apathy. That is the mark of a team that has done nothing to endear themselves to the city they play in… whether it be by success on the field or simply making decisions that generate true excitement.

I get it… for some reason, you’re all in and this team is impervious to your criticism. But that also makes your stance completely so jaded/one-sided that it becomes hard for anybody to take you seriously. That’s why people think you work for the team. That’s why you’ve been ignored more than replied to. That’s why you can no longer have an objective back/forth.

 

There is even less of a connection with the Texans.

 

The point is the Oilers name and brand would not help the Texans franchise. Some think it is some panacea to cure what ailment the Texans has. That brand doesn’t have any magic anymore. What happened for 5 years over 40 years ago, is history. I don’t care about the Texans’ brand over the Oilers ( since I was a fan of both). I look at it from a marketing perspective (since I have a degree in Marketing and YEARS of sales experience). From a business standpoint, Texans are way more successful that the Oilers ever were. Your emotional connection is irrelevant. The Texans win a SuperBowl, that emotional connection with the city will magical grow. Fans are easy. Will it be the same as Luv Ya Blue? No. Different times. Sports are more cold now. The Astros championship is Different than the Rockets’. I would say Luv Ya Blue had the most connection with the city of any sports team without winning it all. Again, it is the past. Nostalgia. And thats were it needs to stay for the city of Houston.

The only way for the Texans to “fix” their brand issues is to win. Winning will amazingly cure all.

 

And the Texans are no closer to winning than when they were awarded the expansion team. And if somebody even tried to be nostalgic about them now… they couldn’t.

what a gigantic waste of ****ing time. And you’re a marketing director? Lol…

 

And from a BS marketing standpoint… this is the first time in this franchises existence that there is no novelty, no stars, no aspirations to win, and no reactions (apathy) with losses.

With ratings, ticket sales and merchandise sales likely to be at an all time low, this is actually the time when franchises try to come up with some sort of image shift. New uniforms. New look. New something.

When the Texans were bad before they either had novelty or stars. The “marketing department” will be taxed with coming up with something… the business guys have never gone through a season like they’re currently expected to go through.

 

You are still missing the point. This thread is about the Oilers branding. A brand filled with colossal failure. Failure even worse than the Texans on and off the field except for a 5 year period 40 years ago. More people remember the Buffalo collapse or baby gate than Luv ya Blue nowadays around the country. Houston pro has been a failure throughout its history. Going back to a brand that started the failure doesn’t make sense.

 

No… its about how meaningless the Texans brand is after 20+ years and why people consider things like bringing back the Oilers name or simply a total overhaul in general.

At this point even the Charlotte Hornets had more success and more connection to their city, hence why they clamored to get the name back. The Texans are the perpetual Bobcats in terms of relevance. I bet they do end up having to do something drastic (color change, uniform change) in order to try and regain footing in the marketing/merchandise/ticket sales arena. I bet the overall Texans revenue will be down across the board… and that’s what leads to potential changes.

 

LOL. You don't change everything after 1 year of revenue losses. You tweak. Texans may do a uniform design or some other things, but they know if you win....people come back. Sports franchise don't panic because of revenue sharing guarantees a certain amount. Texans trade Watson and get those 3 1st, will be satisfied and will follow the rebuild.

 

You've obviously never followed a completely irrelevant franchise that turns in all-time lows in revenue streams. I'm not vouching for anything because I' apathetic right now... but I do expect some business/marketing geeks to wonder why interest in the Texans brand is at an all time new low. Those JJ Watt jerseys won't keep selling at market price.

And while winning does fix much... its also seemingly the hardest aspect for the Texans to grasp and hold on to. They're unlikely to turn it around fast this time. And the current regime is unlikely to be overseeing the next time they're actually a contender.

Knock yourself out with "football time in houston!"

 

If you think they are worthless, why are u posting here? Just ignore them and go on with your life.

 

Predictably your go to response when you’ve run out of your bullshit.

I think this is a tougher than advertised time for the organization and the fans that blindly follow them (as is yourself). You’ve never faced this combination of irrelevance, lack of novelty, lack of recognizable faces. And the front office has always had a blind following of merchandise and ticket purchasing fans that are starting to realize exactly what the situation really is. And just realizing that has led you to a unique defense mechanism on full display.

 

You are not saying anything. The Texans are top 10 in Value in the NFL. They are fine. LOL. 1 or 2 years of turmoil is not going to hurt them in in the long run. That is what you don't understand. The Texans will not be hurt as much as you hate McNair and Easterby. "People are not going to games". They are still selling 68,500+ tickets a game (out of 72,000) even if that many don't actually go. This a business. Emotional attachment is irrelevant as long as they are making money (which they will and are). The Texans understand people will come back. You don't seem to grasp that.

 

You don’t work for them. Stop the farce. (And they’re no longer top 10… and will undoubtedly be even lower after this year).

You may think they’re “fine”… and yet its entirely true that this is the low point of this franchise: From a performance standpoint, form a financial standpoint, from an on the field standpoint, from a fan connection standpoint, from an optimism standpoint, from a relevance standpoint… and most importantly, absolutely nobody gives a **** when they lose anymore.

The connection they have with everybody here is hollow AF. I don’t care about the team… but I am passionate that they have such a huge uphill climb to get anywhere close to making that sort of progress despite it already being 20+ years. When I see a team truly WASTE a fan base’s time/money/interest/devotion… its extremely dissapointing.

The season ticket waiting list went from 5 years down to 3 years and now down to nothing in the span of just 2 seasons. If you don’t realize or admit any of this, you’re really so far up your ass you don’t even realize that what you smell… is real bullshit!

 

I went back and read this thread and while you do acknowledge the impact of winning on fan engagement I think you are still selling it short.

Look at the Astros for example. There were games in 2011-2014 that had maybe 7000 fans in the stands, Jay Leno was cracking jokes about them, the whole CSN Houston debacle meant half the city couldn’t even watch them for 2 seasons. They were arguably in a worse position than the Texans are now. Yet as soon as they were competitive the average attendance was up 50% and non-die hard clutchfans were talking about them.

it really doesn’t take much for this city to jump on the bandwagon especially when it comes the football.

 

It doesn’t. But the Astros got plenty of flack for the tanking years… from myself and other fans who truly cared about that team based on previous eras and previous success. But they also had a plan/vision and an architect who was ruthless and had already built the most successful farm system of this era, and a new owner who hand selected that architect and was just as calculating/ruthless. They also executed a successful re-brand to cater to the era of fans that had seen their most successful years.

The Texans don’t seem to have that sort of ownership… and they’re promoting pastors. Casserio will have to prove something without Belicheck (who trained Newsome) overseeing everything. It will take time… but the Texans also don’t have generational fans or history. There will probably be a re-brand to increase merchandise sales while revenues are down, but they’re going to suffer until they sustain real success.

 

So what do you suggest the Texans do? The red white and blue inadvertently paid homage to an immediate post 9/11 America. Would Cal really go away from that?

 

You don’t understand the business of the NFL. Waiting list doesn’t mean ****. It is about TV revenue and corporate buyers. Texans have over 68,000 tickets sold in first 2 games (out of 72,000). They are making money. There value is not affected by 4000 tickets or a reduction in the wait list. People like you can’t see the forest from the trees. Jets have sucked for years and are like #8 in NFL value. Same with the Bears or even the WFT (top 5 in value). Just because I understand the business of the NFL doesn’t mean I work for the Texans. I see them from a non-emotional standpoint. You clearly don’t. BTW, Texans are currently #11 in valuation. https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeoz...gue-shrugs-off-pandemic-year/?sh=7483219f654e

 

Those historical teams have generational fans. Even the Lions have generational fans.

The Texans have to be decent (or a new team) to have demand/interest of this city.

this is literally the first time in team history that they don’t have anything going for them or any marketable presence. Hence why they’re going to likely do some sort of cosmetic bullshit to appease the blind.