Cleaning up the UCLA athletic brand
by Bruin Brander on Apr 1, 2010 8:00 AM PDT
Email
PrintBN I know there has been a lot of discussion on this site regarding the UCLA athletic brand, specifically the athletic script and colors.
A common concern is that there is no consistency with the brand because different media outlets and merchandisers use different scripts and colors:
The inconsistencies are caused by 2 main factors:
1) The media and merchandisers do not always use the official athletic logo:
Why is this?
2) Adidas has exclusive rights to the UCLA "true blue" color and to the UCLA script (as seen on the football helmets). These exclusive rights prevent other merchandisers and media outlets from using the script and colors worn by UCLA athletes. As such, the other merchandisers and media outlets create their own versions of the UCLA script and colors thus perpetuating the inconsistencies.
Adidas' exclusive rights to the school's script and colors are documented here:
"The deal makes adidas the exclusive outfitter of UCLA athletics and grants the company exclusive rights to certain UCLA marks, like the cursive script on UCLA football helmets." Daily Bruin
"Our coach needs to ditch the navy sweater vest and get a UCLA blue one too!!
On another note, I have worked closely with the recreation and club sports dept and the color issue comes up a lot. It is still difficult to get misc items in the "official" blue color as adidas does not include this color with stock/standard offerings. Even t-shirts in the correct color are not easy to get a hold of. Companies such as Russell and Champion do not offer our blue so we are forced to choose between columbia, royal and navy. You would think with UCLA's buying power.volume these we could get shirts in our real colors...just like they have done with Texas/Burnt Orange. I could go on forever on this topic..."by laxbruin on Sep 24, 2009 9:12 AM PDT - Color Coordination at the Rose Bowl
While the inconsistencies outlined above may seem subtle, IMHO they are significant enough to dilute the UCLA athletic brand.
I'm a student at Anderson and recently won a lottery to sit down and talk with the Chancellor for 10 minutes. I know there are a lot of potential topics to address with him about but I think that having a consistent athletic brand is important and should be on his radar. I would like to open a thread on this because the BN community has a wealth of passion and knowledge on this subject.
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.
21 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
We all like different blues!
Even I am fickle. I really prefer the baby blue (reminds me of what I wore as a child) and the Navy (also the more traditional sweatshirt/tshirt ucla color). The problem seems to me that when they went away from the navy for sweatshirts and the like and came to the “True Blue”, many who had attended the school earlier didn’t relate to it. I don’t know when the True Blue came in, but it wasn’t in, in the late 70’s when I was there. As for going to games, I wear true blue because it stands out better and is much easier to pick up by the players and on tv. Wearing it does show support and that there is a mass of people there. It may just be a matter of getting the word out to fans. When watching on tv, it’s hard to see how many bruins are there. But if we all wore the true blue (or one of the close to it blues), it would be better. I don’t know how you get generations of Bruins to give up the blues they grew up with and love. I still remember my favorite ucla sweatshirt that I had in the 60’s as a child. A lovely baby blue with white lettering on it. I always look for one like it in the student store, and maybe one day, it will be back. But maybe, we could push the medium blue, as I call it, to games.
Go Bruins!
Most collegiate programs
offer apparel in different colors. Oregon for example changes their uniforms multiple times throughout the season, and who can forget Suc’s blue and gold line. I think that a school’s brand recognition is more related to teams performing on national platforms, and performing well in the post season. I’m sure that there are some situations in which it would be nice to use the logos that adidas has the specific rights to, but the lack of uniformity does not seem to hurt other school’s brands. Having more options might even increase exposure. But I’m no branding expert, and this certainly seems like a pertinent issue to consider.
We're havin' too much fun today. We ain't thinkin' 'bout tomorrow.
Steve, I respectfully disagree...
When I was attending UCLA years ago, the merchandizing and sale of Bruin gear was the highest dollar return among all colleges. This was true (and is true among other vital brands) because people associate with the logo/color/indentity of the entity.
I agree that Oregon ‘jazzes up’ their look (seemingly by the game), but outside the Pac-10, it has no color connection and its identity is tied to the ‘angry’ Donald Duck.
I have lived in Boston for the last decade and proudly sport my Bruinwear, which is instantaneously recognized by the UCLA blue I endeavor to lean towards. Since only Columbia and North Carolina have a similar ‘sky’ blue, our colors are in a small minority to separate from the pack..
I realize that we live in an age when ‘old school’ implies anything from a half a decade ago, still, human perception doesn’t change as readily and it helps UCLA to retain its color identity and they should demand in its next contract that all merchandizers have the right to replicate the UCLA colors, which is not owned/devel;oped by any merchandizing firm.
by C.T. in Boston on Apr 2, 2010 11:01 AM PDT up reply actions
The different Blue's represent diversity and acceptance.
That is what I always tell people from one blue schools (Michigan, Florida…).
When I tell them that UCLA embraces ethnic, gender, religious… differences and displays this by the different blues it is always received in a positive manner.
The more blues the better! Diversity and acceptance is our brand!
Too many blues...
I totally agree with your sentiments. We need ONE identity. We need ONE blue. Diversity is good when it comes to other aspects of life but we are ONE team and should stick to ONE color IMHO.
I love the throwbacks and wish we could go back to tradition.
Excellent point...
Congrats on your meeting with the Chancellor.
I agree with you, there should be one logo and one shade of blue. Personally, I like the blue on the home football jerseys.
We have the same issue here where I work (Pepperdine). We seem to get a lot of different shades of orange and blue.
I may work with the Waves, but I'm still a Bruin!
BRING BACK THE POWDER KEG!!!!!!!
Everyone has to agree that those ’60s throwbacks were a great moment of this past season (I was really close to getting a jersey for myself but opted for the Beatles in Mono).
To establish a winning tradition we should go back to the last time we were truly an elite team (1950s) and pay great respects to our greatest football coach.
Concerning the logo, I think we should do away with the ‘Bruin’ lettering and go to a empty script style. They look great on hats, clothes, and our own football helmets.
I hope the AD gets their crap together and start marketing the UCLA athletic brand like it should be.
"I can't believe I ate the whole thing" Homer Simpson
Two successes of Bob Toledo
1) 20 straight wins
2) Cursive numbers on the jersey’s incorporating the blue/gold color improvement over the 60s iteration!
I have a replication of D.Foster’s “26” andf get many complements about it being so different in color and look!
by C.T. in Boston on Apr 2, 2010 11:07 AM PDT up reply actions
I wouldn't exactly point to Bob as a positive but
that win streak was mighty impressive. Those numerals though looked really tacky. Maybe because I’m a big history nut and I love Red Sanders but going back to the powder keg seems right for a complete transformation into a powerhouse again. Maybe we should also switch back to the coaching jackets that Toledo used to wear : )
"I can't believe I ate the whole thing" Homer Simpson
Agree-- this is important
I thank the author for bringing up a point that has bothered me as a Bruin fan/alum for many years. UCLA needs a consistent color scheme. It is critical part of establishing an easily recognized brand. It implies stability and clearly distinguishes the brand.
Think about Carolina blue. Or Texas burnt orange. Or Nebraska red. You don’t see multiple shades or variable colors. In fact, those colors “become” the school, linked forever to that program. Indeed, we are really fortunate to have a unique blue (and yes, I prefer the recent “true blue”) that is essentially not used by any other team!
I hope that UCLA’s sports marketing— which has been inadequate for as long as I can recall— will eliminate other shades of blue and create a unified color scheme.
If this is about tradition why are we getting rid of the traditional blues for the new blue.
That’s the problem, you can go for uniformity, but in doing so you end traditions. There are 3 favorite blues already in this comment section. Our university is great because of what’s underneath it. We had 57,000 students apply as freshman this year. While consistency in the athletics would be nice, we are not suffering from branding. We are a great brand because we are a great school. I think it would great if over all of the years a color had emerged, but it didn’t. I think if one does emerge, so be it, but in the meantime, I vote for our traditions in all of our beautiful blues.
Go Bruins!
I think it's time to start a tradition
I’m with the one-color faction. If you go to a Nebraska game or a Wisconsin game or any of the “red” schools, you see basically one color in the stadium. No subtle nuances. No white shirts. It’s solid, one color. Boise State gives two colors, but you sit according to whether you’re in blue or orange.
I would like to see us get one consistent blue. And please – no more brown or green or pink or puce UCLA hats. You can wear those colors and be happy in them, just don’t put UCLA on them.
I think one definite, absolute color would build more unity among the fans, and that would build more solid support for the team. Think about it – when our teams go out on the field, they all have one color of blue, nor four or five, and not navy and not UNC blue and not Florida blue. It’s UCLA powderkeg blue. That’s what I want to see our teams in and that’s what I want to see our fans in.
Long rant for a vote on one definitive color.
"New tradition" is an oxymoron
Tradition is not up for a vote every so many years. The whole idea of tradition is that it is not changed and it anchors ALL Bruins, no matter when they went to school. It brings us together. It is timeless.
Our tradition is navy blue.
Our tradition is the original 8 Clap.
Both served us well and should be respected and followed.
Tradition should never give way to trendiness. This year powder keg blue — next year a derivative, that’s not tradition.
The “red” schools have not morphed to pink. Wisconsin, Michigan, and Notre Dame have not changed their traditional “fight songs”.
Why is it so difficult to be what we started out being?
Why can’t we honor what made us and what can sustain us?
sjh
Navy blue?
I don’t remember that. I’m thinking back to the color that Larry Zeno wore – which was pretty much the blue on this background – very light. It seemed to get continually darker. My point on starting a tradition was intended to say that the school needs to decide on a color. Not some vendor who sells to the school, but the school. The enforcers, of course, would be the students and fans. if there is an official UCLA color designated by the school, then students and fans should buy only that color. The end zone should be painted only that color. All the uniforms in all the sports should be that color. If some vendor thought that a nice hat in UCLA brown was a good idea, then by all means try to sell it, but the fans have to be willing to buy it. I think fans are willing to buy anything now because every color is accepted and semi-official.
I completely and whole-heartedly agree that we need to re-institute the tradition of the Eight Clap, and that’s without the long LLLLLLLLL. Sorry, youngsters, it sounds (a) wrong and (b) silly. We are the University of California, Los Angeles. Traditionally that’s shortened to UCLA. It really doesn’t want to get changed to UoC,LA or anything like that. That’s dumb. Changing the Eight Clap is dumb. (Just wait, kids. You too will become a geezer. Your views on things will change. My guess is that you’ll view whatever replaces tattoos the way I view tattoos.)
You are right about uniform colors
I was thinking hats, tshirts, sweat shirts, etc.
Zeno blue is the right color.
sjh
Good points, but....
We share a fight song with Cal and they use Navy blue…
We do have the 8-clap and “Mighty Bruins”.
I may work with the Waves, but I'm still a Bruin!
Is it common at other schools to give the apparel company exclusive control of the school’s logo and color?
I’m curious to know if schools like North Carolina and Texas give Nike exclusive rights to the Carolina blue or burnt orange.
by Bruin Brander on Apr 1, 2010 4:12 PM PDT up reply actions
I agree with the brand questioning, but that's a distant second for me
If I was going to speak to the Chancellor, here’s the #1 question I would ask him: Do you support an NCAA run college football playoff, or do you support the current Bowl system?
If he supports the playoff system, I’d ask him why and what he is doing to further that point of view with his peers.
If he supports the current Bowl system, I’d ask him,
1) Why won’t the Pac-10 even consider a playoff system which could add millions in extra revenues for the athletic departments of its member institutions? (Last I heard, Tom Hansen voted to NOT study the potential profitability to the NCAA and individual universities of a football playoff system)
2) As Chancellor, isn’t it your fiduciary duty to make sure that such an important topic at least be considered? As a note, Dan Wetzel believes the Bowl system costs college athletics hundreds of millions of dollars a year in lost revenues (opportunity costs).
3) Considering college football is more popular in America than college basketball, how can you be satisfied with conferences/universities receiving only $142.5 million in revenues from the football Bowls while the NCAA Basketball Tournament brings in $650 million in revenues to the NCAA/conferences/universities? As another note, the NCAA is expected to opt out of the last three years of its 11-year, $6 billion deal with CBS after this year’s tournament. In other words, the NCAA is likely to get much MORE than $650 million per year going forward.
The bowl system is nothing but a boondoggle and costs colleges millions.
Color Changes
Can anyone provide a timeline of uni/color changes for the basketball and football teams? This could be a grand undertaking and it could become a permanent page on Bruins Nation. We could include pictures from each era. It would be fantastic…maybe I will do it.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
