Maximizing Damien - Logo Change

[BestDaneSinceHamlet]

Started this on the construction thread, thought it worthy of posting here.

 

In favor of changing our main logo in marketing from the (what i think to be) dated UA logo to an image of Damien.

 

 

Two points:

 

Gimmicks work in college football. The blue field at Boise, the red field (as hard as it is to watch) at Eastern Washington to a lesser degree, Chief Osceola, UGA the Bulldog, the Boomer Schooner, Syracuse Orange, even that weird trend of Oregon State Beaver and South Carolina Cocks hats worked and brought money to those schools through sales, We need to establish that here and work with what we have. What we have is a cool mascot with a unique name.

 

The current Damien or Damian (SP?) isn't goofy. It may be cartoonish, but its not goofy. And lets be honest, It's not like we can make a Great Dane look vicious. The most famous one in history is an clumsy comic strip character, unless you count Hamlet.

[Jammaster]

love the Hamlet reference.

 

And yes—With Nano likely leaving, we're going to lose a lot of national attention for academics.

Sports is usually the quickest route to publicity, unless you're winning Nobel prizes or getting caught in scandals. So why not go the gimmicky route. Paint Albany as a fun place, a school with a sense of humor, and some moxie. Our campus is a lot of concrete and subdued colors. Not advocating painting State Tower purple, but let's at least push the boundaries in the places that allow for it.

[madDOG]

We've discussed updating the logo in the past. I'll dig around for the thread.

 

I wouldn't mind the Penn State approach...something like this:

 

or this!!....damn, someone took our mascot??????????????????????????

 

 

I think we just got outclassed by a high school

Edited July 11, 2013 by madDOG

[BestDaneSinceHamlet]

I think those are a little typical and severe. I say play up the cartoon aspect. We won the tournament name championship in the NCAA on Deadspin this year and that was probably the biggest name recognition nationally our name recognition has ever gotten. So keep the Great Danes, call us secondarily the Scoobies, and have fun with it. It'll be a marketing coup.

 

I like this one below. Maybe not with the writing, but it has personality and its DIFFERENT. Like the Blue Field in Boise, which has worked pretty well for another state school in the state capital.

[Michigan_Dane]

I love the Fountain Valley Dane mascot

[BestDaneSinceHamlet]

Eh, it looks like a panther with big ears and is a dated style that was huge a few years ago but schools are now moving away from. innovate, not imitate!

[Jammaster]

I think it's important for the administration to be bold. With moving to CAA, and a shiny new stadium, we can kind of reinvent ourselves right now.

 

Think more creatively about publicity. Bring in some folks with real branding skills. Don't take ourselves too seriously. Make Albany seem like a place you'd want to know about, a place where people are having fun, where the administrators (not just he fans) are a little eccentric.

 

A logo is part of a mindset, and if we try to just fit in or look cool/subtle, it's an uphill battle. Cause academically or athletically, we won't be measuring up to Duke or Michigan or Penn State anytime soon.

[Clickclack]

Just win! The rest is just noise...Duke could have a giant turd as a logo...

[Jammaster]

That's a bit putting the cart before the horse. It helps to maximize all your options to make an ultimate goal happen.

Also I'd rather win and have a great branding/promotion system in place, rather than win with an outdated one and try to play catch up.

 

Duke can afford to have a turd as a logo...now, but couldn't back in the early days.

[UAalum72]

Not a fan of goofy. You've got to win respect first, or people's first impression will be 'watta buncha clowns'.

 

PETA notwithstanding, I wish we had real Great Dane at football games. We've had them on rare occasions in the past. Once at a Union game we had one who let loose a single bark, and necks snapped all over that side of the field looking for him - it's hard to imagine how loud one dog can be. Having Damien towering over UGA or Handsome Dan (and probably standing eye to eye with Bevo) is a better way to get attention.

 

And any time you give artistic types the power to design a mascot, you risk ending up with Frankie the Friar.

...unless of course you like him.

[alum73]

Not in favor of Damien. If we want people to know Albany, Then the current approach is fine with me. Let's stick with the logo. Concentrate on all the other things that need much more attention.

[DanesRGood]

I think those are a little typical and severe. I say play up the cartoon aspect. We won the tournament name championship in the NCAA on Deadspin this year and that was probably the biggest name recognition nationally our name recognition has ever gotten. So keep the Great Danes, call us secondarily the Scoobies, and have fun with it. It'll be a marketing coup.

 

I like this one below. Maybe not with the writing, but it has personality and its DIFFERENT. Like the Blue Field in Boise, which has worked pretty well for another state school in the state capital.

 

I like this one. don't like the high school one. Looks like spiderman version of a dog. Doesn't even look like a GREAT Dane. haha!

[BestDaneSinceHamlet]

I'm not suggesting that's the sole emphasis of the department. It's like creating a movie or a TV show. You don't create your program based on marketing (most of the time). You create something of quality, and then turn it over to the marketing to figure out how to get people to watch it. Tweaking the logo or mascot or marketing of the team isn't going to change the direction of the athletics department. It's just going to get people to pay attention differently. I cannot stress enough what Boise State has done..and it worked...brilliantly.

[danefan]

I'm not suggesting that's the sole emphasis of the department. It's like creating a movie or a TV show. You don't create your program based on marketing (most of the time). You create something of quality, and then turn it over to the marketing to figure out how to get people to watch it. Tweaking the logo or mascot or marketing of the team isn't going to change the direction of the athletics department. It's just going to get people to pay attention differently. I cannot stress enough what Boise State has done..and it worked...brilliantly.

 

Boise State had blue turf for years and no one cared.......until they started winning.

[BestDaneSinceHamlet]

Actually, they went division 1 in 1996. Since 1999 they are 86-4 at home.