Wildcats is a god awful name and whoever chose it originally wants shooting.
Having said that, the Rhinos name has worked tremendously at Leeds. Kids, especially, associate with the name and the mascot. Ronnie the Rhino is a big marketing plus for Leeds and helps engage loads of kids.
However, that's partly because Leeds got it right from the start. The badge, the mascot, the branding, the merchandise, all of it was good from the start and stayed consistent.
But also Leeds spend a lot on marketing and on supporter engagement and crucially spend a lot on the staff responsible for these things.
For example, the last week or so at Headingley has been:
Friday - Home game v Salford - att 14,000 - 200+ dancers from recent Rhinestones dance camp at half time plus the usual amateur teams. Plus Armed Forces Day featuring Royal Marines band and Army v Navy teams.
Sunday - Children's Day - various activities and entertainment on all day including kids RL, football and cricket tournaments. Attracted approx 6,000 people to Headingley.
Monday - Coach Education workshop at Kirkstall. 30-40 amateur coaches present.
Tuesday - Rhinos Touch Rugby session - 30-40 paying participants
Wednesday - Sponsors Day - various activities including participating in Rhinos training session for sponsors and their families
Thursday - Sinny's Club (for members aged 12-16) event - attracted 60-70 kids plus parents
Sunday - Home game v Catalans - att 15.5k - hundreds of u8 players on the pitch pre-match and half time.
Now that's obviously not a normal week for Leeds but it illustrates the effort Leeds puts in to both their brand through the mascot and other aspects, and engaging with people to get them in to the ground and hopefully coming back again.
Until a club puts that kind of effort in, it doesn't really matter that much what you're called, it won't make much difference.