SWOOPS 101: TEAM AND PLAYER BRANDING

The Swoops universe is a blank canvas for you to customize and build on, starting with your very own franchise. Before you step on the court, your team deserves a name and logo. Within your team’s locker room, you’ll be able to add both. From there, it comes time to name your players, a process as simple as riding a bike (assuming you can ride a bike, if not compare it to something else that's easy).

As we take over the virtual basketball universe together, teams and individual players will no doubt start to garner attention from potential sponsors. Keep that in mind as you create your team’s identity.

Now, let's talk about team and player branding...

It's not about the name on the back of the jersey, it's about the name on the front. At least until we get to the player naming section, then it's DEFINITELY about the name on the back. But, first things first. You are now the proud owner of a virtual basketball franchise. No, that is not fluffy marketing jargon. And no, this isn't your typical NBA basketball game where you pretend "manage" the fake version of some billionaire's team until next year's overpriced game comes out and all of your hard work goes down the drain. Nope, not in our world. In the Swooperverse you OWN THE TEAM, you NAME THE TEAM, and you BRAND THE TEAM. How your squad looks on the court is up to you.

Once you've signed up for an account, you will be taken to your team locker room. It's here where you can both name your team, and add a logo. Each is an incredibly simple process (remember the bike analogy?). You will be walked through the steps within the app, so instead of boring you with the instructions, let's get to inspiring. Within the Swooperverse exists HUNDREDS of franchise owners, just like you. Many of which have spent time coming up with team names and visual identities that fit their styles.

Take a look at some of the brand’s already being built throughout the Swoops community...

WHERE CAN YOU GET A KILLER LOGO?

Need a logo for your team? You're in luck...and so are we. Within the Swooperverse, we have a number of talented team owners who excel off the court as much as they do on it. Two of those graphic designing owners are below, each of which has helped teams like yours build incredible logos for their basketball franchises. If you're interested in a premium logo design, reach out to @BucketHounds and/or @prospect_hodl on Twitter.

Don't you hate when you meet someone without a name? Wait, that's not how life works. And it's not how the Swooperverse works either.  Our robot Swoopsters are all one-of-one’s, randomly generated on the blockchain. That means every player is a 100% unique entity waiting for their story and personality to be established. That’s where you come in.

As a Swoopster’s original owner, it’s your right to name your player. Once named, no one else, regardless of ownership transfer, can change that player’s name. Keep in mind that the stronger your players’ lore and the more buzz you build around those players, the more likely they are to increase in value on the secondary market, so choose your names and tell those stories wisely.

Once again, the process for naming a player is incredibly simple and the app will walk you through the process step-by-step, so let's get to more of the fun stuff. Let's take a look at some of the more popular players in the Swoops universe.

Owning a basketball franchise in the metaverse is a marathon, not a sprint. When deciding on your team name, team logo, and players names, think about where you want your team to be years down the road. Yes, we're serious. This isn't just a video game, it's a sport with real team and player ownership. You're here to have fun in a way no traditional video game can offer you. Fun, with the opportunity to turn a profit and create a legacy. With that in mind, let's end with a few things to consider (emphsis on consider) when deciding on how your franchise will look and feel.  

BE SPONSOR FRIENDLY.

If you're serious about garnering sponsorships (as your fellow Swoops franchises owners already have), it's important to brand your team in a way that will align with the philosophies of most, if not all, companies around the world. That means being careful with every element of your branding. If any one of your team name, team logo, or player names are seen as offensive or problematic to a potential partner, it's not happening (and we won't approve it).

Have fun and use your best judgement.

BE DIFFERENT.

Standing out in a crowded room, starts with knowing who else is in the room with you. If you want to differentiate your franchise and create a memorable brand, the first step is finding your own niche. Someone once said "If there are already 10,000 companies in a given market, why would you want to be 10,001?" The answer is, you don't.

In our less dramatic example, if there are already multiple Swoops teams representing a given subject, consider finding a theme no one else has touched. Being the 'only' is an enviable place to be when it comes to brand development.

Be different.

KEEP IT SIMPLE.

We're short on time and patience as humans. The more complicated you make the name of your franchise, the logo of your team, or the names of your players, the less likely we are to remember them. Why? Because we are only going to give you a fraction of our time to make an impression and our brains are already overloaded with stimulus as it is. If you don't capture our attention quickly with an easy to remember concept, we're gone and we're probably not coming back.

Look at your favorite sports team's branding, chances are it's fairly simple across the board: name, logo, color combination. Now think about some of the most recognizable athletes in the world, many of them have short, simple names that are easy to remember: Tiger, Serena, Messi, Ronaldo, LeBron, Magic, etc.

Keep it simple.

BE CONSISTENT.

There are two keys to making a brand stick in an audience's mind: consistency and frequency. You need both. Once you've decided on what makes your franchise unique and how it will look, it's then your job to take that focused idea and get it in front of your audience...over and over and over again.

The more you get your uniquely positioned team in front of a group of people, the more likely they are to remember you. The more they remember you, the better chance you have at getting them to root for you, growing your fanbase. And guess what often happens when a team builds a large, passionate fanbase...sponsors come knocking on the door.

Be consistent.

Happy branding.