The branding exercise from the Akron Aeros -- including a potential new name -- was just that.
An exercise.
Fans overwhelmingly picked "Aeros" as their top choice for a new name with nearly 70% of the vote, beating out Rubber Ducks, Tire Jacks, Vulcans and Gum Dippers -- all names harkening back to Akron's rubber legacy.
Akron Aereos news release:
The Akron Aeros and the Akron Beacon Journal are excited to release the results of the season-long Akron Aeros Re-Branding Contest presented by the Akron Beacon Journal. Folks from all over Northeast Ohio responded to the contest, entered potential team names, and voted on the five finalists. The contest began in early June and voting ran until September 1st, the final home game of the 2011 regular season.
The results have been tallied and "Aeros" will remain the team’s official nickname after the season-long vote. Aeros beat out the other four finalists RubberDucks, Vulcans, Tire Jacks, and Gum Dippers. The Aeros nickname won in a landslide, garnering 67% of the vote.
"Our fans have spoken and we are excited to remain the Aeros," said Executive Vice President / Chief Operating Officer Jim Pfander. "We want to thank everyone who voted in the contest, our five contestants, and especially the Akron Beacon Journal for helping us put this contest together. It’s exciting to see how passionate the fans were in keeping the Aeros name and we are all looking forward to another fantastic season of Akron Aeros baseball in just a few short months."
Five contestants were selected to represent each team name with the grand prize—Season Tickets for Life awarded to Kate Breth, 41, of Akron. Kate’s entry was randomly selected from all the fans who voted to keep the name "Aeros" during the initial phase of the contest from June 5-June 21. In addition, the four runners up, Don Lutes, 61, of Tallmadge (Gum Dippers); Angi Taylor, 36, of Akron (Vulcans); Raymond Romito, 27, of Copley (RubberDucks); and Tara Kerscher, 35, of Cuyahoga Falls (Tire Jacks); will each receive a pair of season tickets for all 71 Akron Aeros home games during the 2012 season.
