Raiders softening their image?

The Oakland Raiders have never been known for their marketing.  Al Davis seems to enjoy attracting a boisterous crowd that is not particularly interested in flashy social media or marketing campaigns.  You know what I am talking about.  The black hole is termed for a reason.  When my friend on the Panthers comes to the coliseum, you can bet that I will resist showing any shades of light blue with my black and silver attire. 

 

Recently, however, a Web Site has emerged that has looks to be a step in direction of softening the brand.  Raider creator (http://www.raidercreator.com) is a unique approach to the overall softening of the Raider image.  The site allows fans to print and personalize eye patches, take pictures with the finished product and send it to the Web Site.  The pictures will be used in interactive media around the bay area to promote the brand.

 

My favorite part about the campaign is that it aims to appeal to every Raider fan.  However, this campaign will have little or no impact on the softening of the raider image if the images that come from fans are familiar faces of the black hole.  Furthermore, media relations efforts need to reflect this new image before I begin to think about families lining up to buy season tickets.

 

I wanted to highlight this effort to shed some light on the fact that even the Raiders have realized the benefits of new media.