Bobcats Weighing Potential Sales, Marketing Impact Of Acquiring Hornets Nickname

The Bobcats have hired Harris Interactive "to survey both current Bobcats customers and the general Charlotte sports market" about a possible name change to Hornets, according to Rick Bonnell of the CHARLOTTE OBSERVER. The Hornets today will announce they are changing their nickname to Pelicans, making the Hornets name available for the Bobcats. Harris' electronic survey "takes about 30 minutes to fill out, and asks all sorts of questions about the Bobcats, the Hornets and the general perception of what would sell more game tickets and team gear." One question, "about halfway through Harris’ survey, is the crux of the issue." It reads, "If the Bobcats were to change their nickname to the ‘Hornets,’ would you attend more games than you currently do, attend fewer games, or attend about the same amount?" Bonnell writes the issue "isn’t just whether 'Bobcats' or 'Hornets' is more appealing to the Charlotte public," it is whether a name change "would actually drive sales of tickets, merchandise and general interest in this team" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 1/24).