Study: NHL has successfully repaired its image
According to a study at Idaho State University, the NHL's image is all better.
Damaged by the lockout that wiped out the 2004-05 season, the NHL had been fighting an uphill battle to regain fans and repair its tarnished image. According to the report, mission accomplished.
The report, entitled "The Puck Stops Here: The NHL's Image Restoration Strategies During the 2004-2005 Lockout," says the league was able to fix its image "by employing a combination of effective image repair tactics, product improvements, and new marketing."
According to the report, "the damage the NHL did to its own image prior to and during the lockout was severe. The NHL commissioner, Gary Bettman, attempted to restore the league's image by justifying the lockout as the only way to save the business and improve competitiveness between small and large-market teams.
"Although appropriate, these tactics were not effective at changing people's minds about the NHL until its product changes and new marketing strategies began raising the league's profile amongst casual sports fans."
"The NHL case proves that an organization that experiences a 'near-death' crisis can restore its good name in the eyes of the public," said Jim DiSanza, Idaho State University professor of organizational communication and the study's lead author, "but that success can only occur if the organization also creates a complete makeover of its product and marketing."
