Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Burning Question

Would a return to the NPPL brand help the USPL and encourage more teams to play 7-man?

12 comments:

Pelc said...

I doubt it. Most people will know that NPPL is the same thing as USPL. If anything I think it'll hurt them because who wants to sponser a league that already went bankrupt.

recball supastar said...

I am not sure.

Would it make my NPPL video game any more of less valuable? Shouldn't that be the real question?

sdawg said...

No.

Mike said...

Maybe?

I think they just need to get the ball rolling to attract more teams. Once they are more proven and established, team attendance will increase. It's ludacris to think that it would be on par with the NPPL in it's first year...

I say give it time... If they make it.

papa chad said...

I don't think so. I think it's the same old crowd playing 7 man... and who is so out of the know that the name NPPL will make them want to play sevens? what PSP player will be like, "oh, it's called NPPL again. let's play that instead."
just keep the USPL name as a step forward to a better league. also, keep it for consistency.
If they don't plan on making any format changes, ever, I could see calling it NPPL again. but in the HOPE that there is at least a bps cap implemented among other format changes, let's call it something new (USPL).

ProPaintball.com said...

If only they took ownership of the brand name & domains 6 months ago...

undrdg said...

I think brand loyalty goes a long ways. It is possible that the NPPL brand could sway teams to play. Its historical value is underrated.
The main thing is to convince teams that the NPPL is not more of the same.
Once they get past that hurdle i am sure teams will return.
Part of the reason, inmho, that fewer teams are playing 7man this year, is simply because of the uncertainty of the league. As a player and team owner, I sometimes wonder if putting all my money into a league that may or may not survive next year is a bit scary.
The psp, has that advantage over USPL/NPPL right now, as they are backed by industry leaders and shows no signs of slowing down.
Already the USPL has cancelled 2 events and put uncertainty into the heads of many teams.

Baca Loco said...

Hey ProPaintball, sarcasm, I like it.

rudedude said...

As far as the next crop of players goes it makes a huge difference. People reading about it online and interested in news obviously know so it doesn't make much difference. For everyone one of the supposedly educated online readers there are 10 that don't have a clue (or perhaps have even less of a clue).

Want proof? How many kids that just got into the game do you hear talking about how the Angel is the best gun out there? It may be true, but it's certainly not because WDP is still out there promoting the gun...

Branding is not about making a sale tomorrow, but making sure they can keep making them next year and beyond. USPL, if it succeeds in the short term will simply have to start over in terms of its brand name. So they'd need at least 2 years of moderate success under the USPL name to have a solid brand.

Reiner Schafer said...

If it walks, quacks and waddles it's backside like a duck, chances are, it's a duck. You can change it's name, but pluck it and roast it, it's still going to taste like duck.

In general, I can't see much advantage naming something you want to succeed after something that failed, especially when the product is very similar.

Karma said...

Over and over I hear players asking about where the NPPL went. They havn't spent that much money promoting the USPL name, so it wouldn't be much lost. I think they should do it. National Paintball Players League. The name just fits. Maybe change the font and give it a new logo, but keep the name. Oh and give it a ROF cap....

just my two cents

houdini said...

I think they simply purchased the name so that no one else could buy it and maybe reuse it in the future. To even propose to use the name again is simply stupid although it is a waste of some already well established web URL's...