Update: Loudoun Supervisors Vote to Reconsider Joint Initiative

[Popeman38]

For all those wondering what the county gets out of this, for less than taking out full page adds in major print circulations, the county gets to use the Redskins name and logo in advertising, stating that Loudoun County is the official home of the Washington Redskins. They get to host one event per year at Redskins Park, with the possibility of gaining access to coaches as guest speakers at this event.

The Journey though Hallowed Ground argument is invalid. Battlefields and roads are free. Families can picnic at a battlefield, walk around, eat, and leave without contributing a dime to local revenue.

[Taylor 36]

Bring it to Virginia Beach, Danny. That's all I'm saying.

[Mark The Homer]

Another Update - this in today's WP Metro section. No mention of the Hall of Fame this time. (the link says "Loudoun Extra" but this was in the print section of my paper and I live in Maryland)

Priceless brand advertising or boondoggle in tough budget times?

That was the question in Loudoun County in the aftermath of an unusual quarter-million-dollar agreement the county inked with the Washington Redskins.

The Loudoun Board of Supervisors approved the two-year marketing partnership this week with the second-wealthiest team in the National Football League. Among other provisions, the deal gives Loudoun use of the team's logo on marketing materials, a banner ad on Redskins.com and permission to call itself the "Corporate Home of the Washington Redskins."

The arrangement also stipulates that Loudoun can separately invite the team's cheerleaders to appear at a seasonal hospitality event at Redskins Park, its training camp in Ashburn. (No telling whether they'll say yes).

...

But Redskins fans are a powerful constituency in Loudoun... (e.g. Pez & Huly)

...

The $250,000 the county is handing to the Redskins comes from taxes on hotel rooms that are earmarked for tourism promotion.

County officials who supported the deal called it priceless brand advertising — a surefire way to lure more Redskins fans to Loudoun — though they were not able to run numbers that would show a guaranteed financial return. Packets handed out at their meeting described it as "a positioning strategy with long-term goals and no available metrics."

Some supervisors weren't eager to take the gamble. "My packet didn't seem to have the return on investment analysis. Does someone have an extra copy?" Supervisor James Burton (I-Blue Ridge) asked supervisors Tuesday, to silence and blank stares. "Oh! There isn't one."

Burton suggested that maybe the deal should be flipped — the team should pay Loudoun $250,000 for the right to put the county logo on players' helmets.

http://loudounextra.washingtonpost.com/news/2009/feb/07/corporate-home-redskins-has-high-sale-price-critic/#