CenturyLink Thursday officially unveiled its new logo for the former Qwest Field, and the Louisiana-based telecommunications company announced that its naming-rights deal “has been extended an additional five years” through August ’19, according to Danny O’Neil of the SEATTLE TIMES. Qwest’s initial naming-rights deal signed in ’04 was for 10 years, but the deal “included an option to extend the naming-rights agreement by five years.” The new CenturyLink Field logo “incorporates the green that is part of CenturyLink’s logo and the MLS Sounders, the blue of the Seahawks, and the arc that is a signature part of the stadium’s design.” Seahawks and Sounders President Peter McLoughlin said that all signs around the stadium “will be replaced, and the re-branding with the new logo is estimated to be completed by mid-August” (SEATTLE TIMES, 6/24). McLoughlin said that the five-year extension “will make it easier for the CenturyLink name to gain familiarity.” McLoughlin: “If we’re going to go through the change, the longer it lasts, the more permanent it is, the better for all of us, including for them as marketers.” In Seattle, Christian Caple noted the renamed stadium has already gained the nickname “the Clink.” But McLoughlin said that he is “not concerned” about the name gaining popularity (SEATTLEPI.com, 6/23).
