Tuesday’s big story in azcentral.com sports (where I work) was the unveiling of Arizona State University’s new uniforms, logo and color scheme.
This press conference was built up for some time by the ASU athletics department. This past Saturday, they offered a inside peek at the new identity via invitation only in nearby Scottsdale. And even if you forked over the $125 to go (no pun intended), you had to sign an agreement saying you would not leak it to the public.
So that event drew quite a buzz, yet nothing was leaked until Tuesday. The slogan: “It’s time.” The font: “Sun Devil bold” (see right). The uniforms: The usual maroon and gold… with black as the new arrival. Nike, the same company notorious for the University of Oregon’s athletic look, spearheaded the effort for ASU.
(If you want an idea of how much anticipation surrounded this event, our slideshow on azcentral.com raked in more than 550,000 hits within four hours of the press conference. Insane.)
This might not seem like a big deal to sports fans; a handful of universities and pro teams change logos/uniforms/etc. every year. But for ASU, it wasn’t just about modernizing the look. It was about making Sun Devils athletics an official brand. I mean, they invented a new typeface, for Pete’s sake.
A lot of ASU alumni are upset for the university “changing tradition.” They especially don’t like the mascot, Sparky, being somewhat diminished in the identity, especially on the football helmets. Problem is, this “evolution” of the ASU brand was never about pleasing alumni; it’s about making the Sun Devils brand “official.” It’s about bringing in recruits. It’s about bringing current students and faculty together. It’s about changing the face and developing excitement, especially around the football and basketball programs.
Most of all, it’s about bringing in money — but that’s beside the point.
Point is, ASU showcased a great example of why branding is important. It makes properties “official.” It makes them consistent and credible. It gives them an easy-to-recognize identity. It provides unity. In cases of “re-branding,” such as ASU’s, it motivates and excites the community.
And the branding effort doesn’t even have to be universal; it can be about the little things. Take ESPN, for example. As much as I’ve bashed ESPN in the past, they have branding down to a tee. SportsCenter. SportsNation. Page 2. 30 for 30. Year of the QB. E60. Playoff Challenge. Streak for the Cash. ESPN Arcade. ESPN brands everything, from its shows to its sites, from its films to its games.
If we’re going to optimize this concept to newspaper websites, we have to start with the little things. The universal brand is probably already there – The New York Times (NYTimes.com) is a good example.
What about weekly online features? The Arizona Republic sports section has what is called the “Sunday Showcase” for bigger sports features. What about periodical live chats? Last year, while I was editor at Central Michigan Life, we began the “Digital Roundtable” series. What about sections of your site (lifestyles, photo, video, etc.), outreach efforts or online advertising campaigns? Even give the little Facebook games/contests you host for readers a name and a logo.
Then, when readers see that identity, whether it’s the flag of a webpage or a thumbnail logo on a social media posting… they know what to expect.
Posted by Brian Manzullo at April 13, 2011
Journalism, Social Media