UCLA Football Marketing Fails Again
by tasser10 on Dec 21, 2011 8:12 AM PST
in Football
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PrintIt pains me to write this post. It really does.
I am trying very hard to find positive signs around the changes in the UCLA football program. We have an unproven coach, but his assistant hires so far have been good. It also means the purse strings have been loosened somewhat to pay for good assistant coaches, a good sign indeed. Recruiting seems to have improved at the outset, another good sign.
But it's the guys behind the scenes who screwed up. Again.
When it comes to marketing our program, the folks at the Morgan Center (namely Scott Mitchell and Mark Harlan) simply are either oblivious or just plain dumb. These are the geniuses who brought you the "Football Monopoly" disaster of an advertisement, an abject failure on multiple fronts. The worst aspect of that horrendous choice for an ad, which by the way was done without Neuheisel's knowledge, is that it allowed the media to lampoon the program relentlessly using those same words.
Well, follow me after the jump to take a look at what they came up with for their 2012 season ticket advertisement.
Here again is the ad that has been put together by those brilliant marketers and sent out via a tweet by the Athletic Department:
I can't even say that it doesn't look bad on the surface. Let's go through the issues one by one:
1. The Title
More grit? How do you sell that? Coach Mora has never coached in college. I certainly hope it happens, this program badly needs it. But it seems like they're grasping at straws here. Maybe they meant more grits, as in free breakfast for season ticket holders.
That's not even as bad as "Mora Football". Look, we are all dying for someone to bring an identity, a toughness, to this team, and I hope Coach Mora is the guy who does it. But using this title sets up the ad to be once again lampooned by the media, who won't hesitate to take lame potshots such as "Mora Football, Mora the same". The LAT and OC Register will think that's really clever.
I really think they could have done better with this. I'm sure many of you could come up with something far more classy. This is like something a high school kid would come up with.
2. The Pictures
First things first: I'm not sure if this is a negative or not...but these pictures are at least two years old. It's the old uniforms, which we all agree look so much better than the techfit spanx that make the players look ridiculous. So maybe we are going back to those, which would be great.
But, um, look at the photos they picked. UCLA vs. Stanford, UCLA vs. U$C. Two teams that have dismantled UCLA in the last two years. The Stanford picture looks like it's from the 35-0 beatdown we got at the Rose Bowl in 2010. Thanks for the memories guys. I guess it's not their fault. We have 7 home games next year, but lost to 5 of those teams in 2011...I guess if you want to use pictures with the nice uniforms, you're pretty much S.O.L. Not that many wins to pick from...
So, again, maybe I am making too much of this, but this ad is about as far from smart and sophisticated as I can think. Perhaps my standards are too high, but I have high expectations for our program and I am tired of seeing it treated like the local high school team. At the very least, it certainly looks like they made Coach Mora aware of it before putting it together, given his picture here (compared to surreptitious use of a picture of Neuheisel from one of the practices). But guys, come on, let's step up the game.
The regime change in Westwood must include bringing in some savvy marketers, and it will be even sweeter if it comes with Chianti Dan being shown the door.
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Saw This Yesterday Afternoon On My Facebook....
And wanted to throw my phone out the window while seeing it on the bus. God!
Los Angeles Rams and the UCLA Bruins!!!!!
by Minnesota Bruinfan on Dec 21, 2011 10:44 AM PST up reply actions
Agreed
Complete fail. I just don’t understand these people. A UCLA Extension class on marketing could put together a better campaign during their coffee break. Corny and meaningless. Too bad.
This may be a positive
Maybe they realize how outrageously bad the “new look” unis really are and are embarrassed to put them on ANY advertisement.. How’s that for relentlessly positive? NOT!!
It's probably just that our opponents next year are the same teams we played at home 2 years ago.
And thus the crappy uniforms weren’t in play then.
by Kenneth Powers on Dec 21, 2011 9:13 AM PST up reply actions
+1
That was my initial reaction when I saw the ad yesterday. It shouldn’t be too hard to find people on campus that can direct a classy ad campaign.
Well I'm glad I'm not the only one
After being told how “negative” we are, sometimes you question yourself.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
I'm struggling to think of how this team is even marketable at this point.
“A decade of mediocrity”
“At least we won’t be 4-8 again… probably”
“Hey, Pasadena is nice in the fall”
Feel the excitement.
by Kenneth Powers on Dec 21, 2011 9:17 AM PST up reply actions
I think
The focus could have been on the fans – you know the fans who still have stuck with the program through these horrible years. They could have done close up shots of the Rose Bowl in true blue. They could have spliced in images from some of the big wins in RN era. We had some. Tasser just blogged about it.
It wouldn’t have been too difficult to come up with something more appealing without setting this up with obvious punch lines.
Look at the bright side.
At least it wasn’t “Mora Grit”?
by Kenneth Powers on Dec 21, 2011 9:23 AM PST up reply actions
It's not that hard
You do what Nestor just said.
I mean, I have a simple image in mind. Instead of the concrete or stone background, you have faded background images of UCLA greats, like Aikman, McNown, Easley, etc. Then you pick some great crowd pics, a couple of awesome game pics or player pics, like the Fauria hurdle, or the Dietrich Riley hit on Jacquizz. Then you add a pic of Mora somewhere. The subliminal message is, “Mora will bring us back to greatness”. Get a better title, more inspiring. Like “RISE AGAIN”, or some sh!t like that.
What the F is More Grit, if you had none to begin with? OK, so we’ll have a little grit, which is more than no grit. Yay. Shake your pom poms.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
UCLA still has the best sports programs potential. The AD just can't figure it out.
Here’s the latest Capital One standings for 2011-2012:
2011-2012 CAPITAL ONE CUP STANDINGS
Men – School Points
1. North Carolina 60
2. UCLA 42
3. UNC-Charlotte 36
4. Creighton 24
5. $uc 20
5. Wisconsin 20
7. Connecticut 18
8. South Florida 15
9. Stanford 14
10. Louisville 12
10. Oklahoma State 12
12. Cal 10
12. Colorado 10
14. New Mexico 9
15. Brigham Young 8
16. Indiana 7
17. Maryland 6
17. UC-Irvine 6
19. Oklahoma 5
19. Pacific 5
21. UC-Santa Barbara 4
22. Pepperdine 3
22. Portland 3
24. Iona 2
24. Long Beach State 2
26. NC State 1
26. Princeton 1
Women – School Points
1. UCLA 72
2. Stanford 63
3. Florida State 50
4. Duke 42
5. Illinois 36
6. $uc 30
7. Texas 24
7. Wake Forest 24
9. Penn State 21
10. Georgetown 20
10. Maryland 20
12. Hawaii 18
12. Oklahoma State 18
12. Pepperdine 18
15. Virginia 15
16. Iowa State 13
17. North Carolina 12
17. Washington 12
19. Connecticut 10
19. Old Dominion 10
19. Villanova 10
22. Memphis 6
22. Michigan 6
22. Oregon 6
22. Syracuse 6
26. Vanderbilt 5
27. Purdue 3
27. West Virginia 3
29. Iowa 2
29. New Hampshire 2
29. New Mexico 2
29. Northeastern 2
29. Ohio 2
29. Ohio State 2
29. Princeton 2
29. Richmond 2
http://www.capitalonecup.com/standings.html
This is the case not because but in spite of Morgan Center. But they’ll now start resting on their laurels.
Schedule Posters
One of my pet peeves with the marketing department is the late release of the schedule poster. My barber has the $c one up in May for the upcoming season. Our marketing department doesn’t release ours until the fall scrimmage at the end of August.
I know this is just one of those little things – but it’s the little things that count.
might as well
have just had a picture with “50-0” on it.
Maybe an empty Spaulding with players hanging on the wall as they go over it.
How about a picture with the alternate white uni’s.
smh
But hey, it could be worse. They could have missed the new coach memo and inserted a picture of the guy who coached UCLA during those games.
Go Bruins!
Or an Empty Rose Bowl
“Look at all the seats available. Get yours today!”
by Westwood is the best wood on Dec 21, 2011 8:53 AM PST up reply actions
WTF!!
I agree with the uniforms. We need to go back. Just to play along with the advertising, those pics do not look gritty. The one with $¢ actually looks the opposite. Sad indeed.
by Trueblue'09 on Dec 21, 2011 8:47 AM PST via mobile reply actions
This is so ridiculous
Stupid title and stupid/old pictures. I guess the old pictures shouldn’t surprise me, as they can’t send our current pictures with the weekly e-mails, either. So pathetic. They are just horrible.
I wonder if they are going to continue the wonderful tradition of hardhats on the back of the helmets…
by SonOfWestwood93 on Dec 21, 2011 8:52 AM PST reply actions
I actually like the yellow bottoms more than the gold. As for the teams, I get using USC because of the rivalry despite the embarrassing lost this year. I would have used Cal or ASU over Stanford.
The U$C pic is actually ok
but they should have found a better one from that game. I like the use of both home jerseys.
And yes, they should definitely have used the Cal game, but these idiots think Stanford is a big draw because they’ve been a good team. They rely on the other team being good to get people to the game, it’s pathetic.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
That's conventional and stale thinking
These posters are opportunities to push out a fresh set of messages around the program, It’s not about featuring the teams that are coming in. That is classic inside the box thinking that has infested this school.
You use images and words that’d fire up the school without looking tacky and cheap (ie the Monopoly ad). It can be done tastefully and strategically and not just resort to formulaic cr*p we see above.
and 'we shouldn't have pictures vs Stanford and $c because they beat us last year'
is classic craven and pathetic thinking that has infested this athletic department.
I totally agree with you (and others) that there are totally different things you could do with this poster. I just disagree that it would be better to put pictures of Cal, or ASU, or any other team instead of Stanford and $c. Emphasizing the legacy of greatness and connections to future greatness seems like a fine plan.
Wrong
It’s not rocket science wrt to what has taken place against Stanford and Trojans. Moreover, if you want to use Stanford games … you use shots from game against Stanford we won.
You are arguing at this point only for argument’s sake and that is pathetic.
The poster sucks
Trying to find whether one pic is better than another is a moot point, really. The poster sucks, it is lame and uninspiring. In that sense, you are right that using another picture wouldn’t make a difference, but you don’t understand the mindset at the Moron Center. They are selling “the big games”, instead of selling the program. It’s pathetic, and it’s part of the reason people have forgotten about the UCLA football tradition.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
we agree it sucks.
it seems they are trying to sell “come and see some big games… and hopefully with our new coach we won’t be as pathetically soft as the last decade!”
They put themselves in this boat by hiring a coach with no real resume, so they have to resort to generalities (and this campaign would be less bad if Mora was actually known as a coach who had inspired ‘grit’ at previous stops).
Selling the program’s tradition is probably a less bad solution, but still leaves us open to the charge of UCLA revenue sports living on memories of the distant past because of a lack of recent championship success.
Looking on the bright side: at least their headline isn’t “Inaugural Pac-12 South Champions!!”
(And yes, if this goes on to appear in future promotional material, I will feel terrible.)
by VeniceBruin on Dec 21, 2011 12:50 PM PST up reply actions
(I also wondered whether there was a 'True Grit' reference)
but as far as I can see, the poster looks nothing like this
or any of the other movie materials
by VeniceBruin on Dec 21, 2011 12:52 PM PST up reply actions
LOL!
At least they didn’t say “More Gutty”.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
on the interview
I was expecting to hear that his grit bucket was full
I cannot think about buckets
in anything but a negative connotation anymore
Dump Dan!
by bruinclassof10 on Dec 21, 2011 5:46 PM PST up reply actions
Opportunity to
advertise fan travel as well.
Go Bruins!
These guys really do suck
Now that our school is associated with chianti and a med center, it blows me away that those are not represented on the poster.
I guess the photos of . . .
Fauria leaping over a guy and Rosarios one-handed grab were accidentally deleted.
I'm guessing they don't watch football at the marketing dept.
so that begs the question – if Fauria leaps over a guy and Rosario catches a ball with one hand, does anybody in marketing know it happened?
Dump Dan!
by bruinclassof10 on Dec 21, 2011 1:18 PM PST up reply actions
Rosario graduates
But it would be nice to see Fauria and of course our team MVP, Jeff Locke.
by Kenneth Powers on Dec 21, 2011 1:32 PM PST up reply actions
How about Kevin Prince spitting out blood during the Tennessee game?
That was true grit right there, not a bunch of guys lined up during a routine play. Is our marketing dept. that clueless? Yes
Dump Dan!
by bruinclassof10 on Dec 21, 2011 5:48 PM PST up reply actions
Ultimately Mora's name has a lot of potential for bad puns.
Mora the same in Westwood.
Mora the losses coming.
etc.
It does
but the morons shouldn’t encourage it.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
Excuse the language...
But USC fans are gonna photoshop:
More Sh*t
Something Football…
Lawrence Ross
Pretty much
It almost seems like USC fans embedded themselves in Morgan Center and rolled this stupid thing out.
Might as well
Send it directly to SUC fans so they can get to photoshopping it
devil's advocacy, to an extent
If I was UCLA’s marketing department, the justifications might include:
1) the poster is designed to remind people of the big games on the schedule. Putting $c on the poster for the rivalry game seems like a no-brainer, and as people have noted above, the classic home and home uniforms are a good visual. If we are good next year and Andrew Luck has jumped to the NFL, the Stanford game could be a great litmus test as to whether Mora has raised the standard at UCLA. The Pac-12 home schedule next year is Arizona, Oregon State, Stanford, $c and Utah. Clearly Stanford is the 2nd biggest game on that list. If you are trying to sell season tickets, don’t you highlight the big games?
2) what is the biggest complaint about UCLA football from the last 4 years, and what would you want Mora to bring in this year to get fans to buy tickets? Everyone probably has their own issues, but for me the lack of discipline throughout the team, and the softness on defense, are two of the things I hated in the Neuheisel era. I strongly hope that Mora makes the team tougher, mentally and physically. While I’m sure some other people might prefer a headline like “Hello Mora, Goodbye Pistol” to signal the new direction of the program, “Grit” is a characteristic I would personally like to see. Neuheisel was a (sort of) flashy guy, who talked the talk and sadly never delivered; if Mora is supposed to be more of a man of action, that’s fine too.
Not saying that this was a particularly good job of anything, but I don’t see why we would include pictures of the weak teams we’ve beaten on our promotional material, and I do see why we would want to signal a change from the Neuheisel era to try to get people back who got disillusioned with Rick’s sunshine and passion buckets.
This should be our football poster.
by Kenneth Powers on Dec 21, 2011 9:24 AM PST reply actions 1 recs
Why am i not surprised
"Success is never final, Failure is never fatal. It's Courage that counts" - John Wooden.
Surprised
They got the right Mora. I would’ve thought they’d have his dad on the poster under the title “Playoffs?! Bowl games?! You kidding me?!”
Someone must have been sitting on the toilet
to come up with this. I understand the “grit” part, but the play on words is easy, it’s lazy, it reeks like everything associated with toliet behaviour.
Mora seems to be asking...
IS THIS A FOOTBALL?
to which Guererror replies...
I don’t know but this is an apple fritter.
by beanandcheeseburrito on Dec 21, 2011 3:11 PM PST up reply actions
More Grit, Mora Football. IS MORONIC
Who ever came up with that phoned it in.
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