July 14, 2010 | Volume 9, Issue 4

Dave Oster
President
Lake Elsinore Storm
[email protected]
(951)-245-4487

Storm Thredz

With a distinct and unique logo design, the Lake Elsinore Storm have received strong brand recognition across the country from fans that might not even know where Lake Elsinore resides. With strategic marketing and advertising, the Storm continue to sell the most merchandise in all of Minor League Baseball, quite the impressive feat. Looking to remain the leaders in merchandise sales, the Storm want to continue to grow their brand while expanding into non-traditional markets outside of minor league baseball, domestically as well as internationally.

Two years ago, the Storm created an in-house clothing line based on the "Eyes of the Storm" logo. Known as Storm Thredz, the line specializes in active lifestyle clothing for both males and females. Made from 100% organic cotton and bamboo fabrics, Storm Thredz sell over thirty variations of hats, along with t-shirts, long sleeves, sweaters, jackets, shorts, swim suits, pants, and sandals.

Being in the heartland of action sports, Storm Thredz is popular with those in freestyle motocross, dirt bike racing and wakeboarding. As a result, they have partnered with a surf board company and have begun to produce surf movies. This year, the Storm have looked to expand the clothing line by positioning Storm Thredz in local surf and skate shops around San Diego and Riverside County. Recently, Storm Thredz made its way into the Pangea Outpost store in Pacific Beach, California.

Lastly, Storm Thredz looks to have an impact at the youth level, sponsoring youth little league, football, and soccer teams. They also sponsor surf camps, gymnastic squads and a variety of youth skaters and surfers. Exposing the youth to their brand early on, the Storm look to secure fans of the future.

Due to the high number of merchandise sales, the Storm have gained fans primarily because of their logo, with most buyers unaware that the "Eyes of the Storm" actually belong to a Minor League Baseball team. According to the Storm's President Dave Oster, "We have fans in Europe and Asia that probably do not even watch baseball, let alone follow the Storm. However, baseball is a business and if we sell merchandise and attract a few fans along the way, then we have done our jobs."
 

 
A Tour through the Storm's Merchandise

Six years ago the Storm and New Era, the official hat provider of the Minor League Baseball, went overseas to the U.K. and Japan to promote and advertise the Storm's merchandise. Recently, the Storm have looked into media at the local level, advertising and selling their clothing at the UCSD Surf Contest to promote their brand to local surfers and skaters. The Storm also hope their advertising will be sustainable through word of mouth in the U.S, Europe, and Asia, as Storm merchandise continues to grow.

No partners were used for this promotion.

The Storm have proved with creative marketing and strong brand recognition, expanding merchandise inventory is a smart investment. The Storm have seen a steady increase in revenue with each introduction into a new consumer market. Today, the Storm continue to set high numbers in their merchandise sales as well as reinvest to improve their brand.

According to Oster, "We figured out how to compete outside our direct market. We have a unique name and a popular logo that we have used to introduce our brand into a foreign market. My only suggestion is do not limit yourselves, think about what you can do inside your ballpark lines, but advertise outside your lines."

Storm Thredz clothing section at Pangea Outpost Store in Pacific Beach, CA.

The "Eyes of the Storm" are making their way into clothing stores around Southern California. The Storm have also started to invest in sport facilities such as race tracks, little league fields, as well as other sports teams around the country to increase brand recognition and merchandise sales.

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