I ran across an interesting sports marketing/branding article over at the .think blog. .think is the blog from the creative folks at Brainstorm, a marketing and design firm. The post was about a re-branding effort for a local high school, the Hamilton Southeastern Royals, and their sports teams.

It was interesting to me for a few different reason but mostly because it’s the first time I have ever heard of a high school using an agency to develop a consistent brand for their teams. The need for teams, even at the high school level, to create a strong identity is ever increasing in today’s crowded market. With high schools looking at naming rights for their stadiums, schools fighting to retain their students/athletes from other competitive private and prep schools, it only makes sense that high schools are putting an emphasis on their brand. Trying to compete at levels more commonly related to college and pro teams.

Take a look at the great work done by the folks at Brainstorm. Let me know - do you think that high schools teams need to focus on creating strong brands? Is this a trend we will see more and more in high school sports, like stadium naming rights?