UCLA's Allure Outside of the US
by jlegs on May 22, 2008 12:00 PM PDT
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PrintBumped. GO BRUINS. - N
I picked up my copy of the Daily Bruin along Bruin Walk earlier today as I made my way to class and found this interesting story that I thought I'd share for BN by blogging about it while in class (!):
Many students from across the globe, especially from Asia, are drawn to UCLA because of the educational prospects, top sports teams and the Southern California lifestyle.
Cynthia Holmes, the director of trademarks and licensing for Associated Students UCLA, said UCLA is actually a brand name for a clothing line in Asia. The acronym is so popular that it goes into all sorts of clothing, not just the usual sportswear sold in Ackerman Union.
What caught my attention, mainly because of the reasons listed on why I chose UCLA over Cal after taking my Westwood tour prior to my senior year, was this:
Holmes said there are many things that make UCLA so attractive to foreign students, including educational opportunities, internationally recognized research programs, winning sports teams and the California lifestyle.
I grew up for a majority of my life in the Bay Area after my dad was set on retiring from the Air Force and wanted to make our California stop the last one. As college loomed near, I was kind of set on attending college in Southern California just to see what it was like to live in LA. I've been to Davis and Berkeley a lot, but it just somehow seemed "boring" to me...and so that campus tour prior to the fall of '05 cemented me further in the UCLA trenches. It's interesting, but not surprising, for me to find UCLA recognized outside our borders, especially in Asia; too bad my Filipino parents thought Cal was a better brand name that UCLA. Guess I'll be forwarding this story to them... =)
On a final note:
Holmes said that though they do not license the UCLA name just to recruit students from other countries, it’s a nice “add-on” to the about $600,000 a year in royalties. She said UCLA does not really need to market itself to the global community because its reputation speaks for itself.
“UCLA is already a brand. It’s a brand of education,” Holmes said.
That last line speaks volumes for Bruin students, alums, staff, and faculty.
This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of BruinsNation's (BN) editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of BN's editors.
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those four letters are far reaching
even in my home country of Iran, people walk around with their beloved UCLA sweaters. to them, the two best (and only) universities in the states are UCLA and Harvard (as were my only options growing up). which should explain the overwhelming amount of persians at UCLA.
Nice article, except...
...the Daily Bruin ran a very similar article when I was a senior in 05.
The basic story, in both, is that UCLA is this great brand name in Asia, and would you believe, is the name of a clothing brand?!
Recycling stories?! Tisk, tisk DB!
Indeed
I visited one such store in Shenzhen 2 years ago and I am going back in a month. I had a big post about my experience on Bruinville, but it looks like all my image links are no longer working. http://bruinville.com/Forums/viewtopic.php?t=752
norcald503, noticed the same thing!
http://www.uclastore.com.cn/ is the official website in china
by TheTJCummingsEra on May 22, 2008 1:21 PM PDT reply actions
It is REALLY far reaching
Here is a clip from a French movie, a cult hit from 1978. Check out the t-shirt at the 1:11 mark…
nice catch
There’s also a terrible foreign music video that got up on youtube last year with the flamboyant lead singer wearing a ucla shirt. I think it was featured on BN.
by TheTJCummingsEra on May 22, 2008 4:00 PM PDT up reply actions
That was tasser!
Also I recall a Simpsons episode when UCLA shirts were showing up during their trip to Tokyo. Tydides had put up the link but someone took down the youtube video. Doh!
It's true
When I went to Asia this past summer for my post-bar exam trip, I sported my UCLA gear and I got a few waves and smiles of acknowledgment from some of the younger crowd.
Now the question is… do they all hate u$c too?
Let's not just be known; let's be respected
UCLA has great name recognition, but not necessarily great respect around the world. For example, I have traveled often in Hong Kong, China, and Korea, and many people I’ve met there perceive UCLA much as our alumni think of U$C—as a party school for rich kids. Some respect UCLA but still see it as a back-up to UC Berkeley and Stanford. Personally, I’d rather our school be known for great students and faculty rather than for “good” or “very good” students and faculty, and rather than as a sports machine or a pool of sunshine.
It doesn’t help if UCLA officials hold the view stated above that “UCLA does not really need to market itself to the global community because its reputation speaks for itself.” Should we be proud if our university is perceived as a fashion label or a popular school? Wouldn’t it be better to publicize our high-caliber students, our Nobel Prizes and Guggenheim Fellowships, and the advances coming from our programs in science and medicine? Look at our home page (www.ucla.edu) or many of our communications in the general public, and ask yourself, do we look like a flagship university? Or like a jumble of programs “owned by the people of California…all 38 million of them”? Sounds more like a Wal-Mart or a McDonalds of education! Our alumni clubs and our central administration need to tighten the brand message of UCLA to focus on academic excellence and leadership rather than size and breadth. Then we’ll be known as we ought to be known around the world.
I have a picture
I’ll have to see if I can dig it out of the boxes in the basement. I was living in S. Korea at the time of the 1988 Olympics. Naturally, I took advantage of the opportunity to see some of the events. I was at the track stadium, and most of the ushers were wearing UCLA hats. I had to get a picture of them.
This was the day that Flo-Jo won the gold in the 100 meters. That was a race worth watching. She blew away the field. When they showed the replay on the big screen in the stadium, the entire stadium had a “whoa!” moment. It showed her breaking out in a huge smile while still about 15 meters from the line, when she realized that she had it clinched.
Bob O. (Signholder #3)
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