Thursday May 22, 2008

Branding

Branding

The concept of branding is nothing new in business but Oliver Purnell and Shaka Smart are two of the first coaches I have ever heard refer to the term in reference to their program.

Coach Smart talks about branding Clemson basketball and style of play is a major emphasis of the staff. They want players and coaches to think about a 94-foot game when they think about Clemson basketball. The Clemson basketball program does not have banners hanging from the rafters or a "pitt" than has national respect. Instead, Purnell and company have tried to brand Clemson basketball with their style of play.

This got me to thinking about the rest of the athletic department and how successful they have been with branding. Here are a few thoughts on some of the branding concepts at Clemson:

The Paw-One of the most brilliant concepts but we screwed this one up too. The athletic department had an incredible idea with the paw concept. It was unique and it was worked right away. It has been over 30 years and people still love the paw. I love it. When you see the paw you think of Clemson. However, they did not do a good job of copywriting the idea and too many high schools all across the country have been able to get too close to the original. Many young people now have no idea that the paw is an original idea that started at Clemson.

Death Valley-We have used the term now for over 50 years and it has also worked. In some ways the LSU Death Valley thing is a drawback because Clemson was the first to use the term. However, Clemson does a pretty good job of branding Death Valley.

The Hill-Brilliant beyond belief. Clemson took an adverse situation with the locker room locations in Fike and turned this into a positive with unbelievable results. Some may forget that Clemson did not always run down the hill and actually stopped for a short time in the early 1970s. Who would have believed that this would have turned into the great tradition we know today. I remember this not being a huge deal but it sure is now. Brent Musberger did the university a great favor when he coined it as the most exciting 25 seconds in college football.

Howard's Rock-Again, brilliant! Some forget that Clemson did not always have the rock. Coach Howard probably never heard the word but branding is exactly what he was doing when he put it up at the top of the hill.

West Zone-Unlike the Rock and the Hill, the West Zone came after we all began to understand branding and its importance. I think this project turned out well and most Clemson fans agree that the marketing campaign worked here. It is not a national branding like other Clemson traditions but Tiger fans understand its importance.

Vickery Hall-The branding of this product is another that is not a nationally recognized symbol but coaches at Clemson have done an excellent job of branding this building to parents of prospects.

Spirituality-Tommy Bowden lives it every day and his staff has daily devotionals but this is not for everyone. What Clemson has been able to do with the FCA is incredible. If you are a young person where spirituality is important, then this is a place that you might have interest.

In summary, Clemson athletics has done a good job for the most part of branding and has given a pretty good representation of what Clemson has that is unique.

Branding is not the most important aspect but it still has its place. Here are some thoughts I have about how this year's top 10 teams in the Lindy's magazine have branded itself:

Georgia-How 'Bout them Dawgs! Between the Hedges! UGA and silver britches. I think Georgia has down a terrific job of branding. I am not crazy about the slogan they have about Saturday in Athens and think they need to more with Larry Munson. But few have branded as well as Georgia.

Southern Cal-The Trojan horse. Running Back U. Southern Cal or SC or USC? I think they could have done a better job here but OJ Mayo must not have minded.

Ohio State-The Horseshoe. Dotting the I. Scarlett and silver. The Buckeye stickers on the helmets. I would give Ohio State a better review if they did not use word THE in front of its name.

Oklahoma-Boomer Sooners and the Sooner Schooner. The uniforms have remained the same and the OU logo is recognizable. I am not sure what else there is to market except their national titles.

Missouri-These Tigers lack tradition but I can't think of any successful branding of the programs there.

Florida-The Swamp. The Gator Chomp. The Go Gators chant. When they came up with The Swamp it really helped brand a terrific atmosphere.

LSU-Death Valley. Bayou Bengals. Geaux Tigers. LSU has done a decent job of branding. Their helmets and uniforms help with their branding. Their success in night games needs to played up more.

Texas-Bevo and Hook 'em Horns! I always thought Texas should do more with the Lone Star flag and play itself up more as the State university. They have so many schools in the huge state but they could separate even more with that idea in my opinion.

West Virginia-Take me home country roads. Rich Rodriguez did a nice job of branding his style of play as a major selling point. It will be interesting to see how they recover from his departure.

Other schools not in the top ten do a nice job with branding. Notre Dame has a lot to brand with Touchdown Jesus and the Golden Dome. Michigan has the great helmets and the Big House. FSU has the tomahawk chop and Chief Osceola. Virginia Tech has really used the Beamer Ball brand.

Wins and losses are more important than branding but it takes players to win and branding helps in recruiting. I would say here at Clemson we have done a pretty good job in this department.

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