ArizonaFast #TheNewNormal

BearDown89 · Post by **BearDown89** » Tue Jul 08, 2014 2:42 pm

Another great recruiting video from the team:

[youtube]1YY-xP991ig[/youtube]

And the related article from footballscoop:

http://www.footballscoop.com/news/13700 ... Po.twitter

azcat49 · Post by **azcat49** » Tue Jul 08, 2014 2:53 pm

Love it. those girls in the pool at 1:04 should turn a few recruits heads

Sage&Silver · Post by **Sage&Silver** » Tue Jul 08, 2014 6:32 pm

No Roadrunner gag? *meep meep*

Nice video. Great idea to introduce the coaching staff too.
These things are always going to be a little corny, but the video production is great and that really helps sell it.

Keep 'em coming.

azthrillhouse · Post by **azthrillhouse** » Tue Jul 08, 2014 7:49 pm

I cannot unsee Wilbur in a speedo.

Chicat · Post by **Chicat** » Tue Jul 08, 2014 9:15 pm

I love it that they do this stuff.

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Tue Jul 08, 2014 9:50 pm

Fox Sports reports on why Arizona makes these videos.

In the eyes of Arizona’s director of on-campus recruiting and player personnel Matt Dudek, video has replaced mailings as arguably the most important recruiting tool the school has at its disposal.

“A kid can be on our YouTube page at two in the morning,” Dudek said. “And for those four minutes, he’s thinking about Arizona football. Recruiting mailings are nice, but a kid looks at a mailing, says ‘Oh that’s cool’ then puts it down and moves onto the next thing. They spend 10 seconds on it total.”

That realization made Dudek propose the idea of producing more video content to Rodriguez. The coach eventually gave the green light and just about the whole Arizona football family became involved in the process of pitching and sharing ideas.

TuiTouchdown · Post by **TuiTouchdown** » Wed Jul 09, 2014 4:43 am

Ugh. I love the intention behind this. But it makes me cringe with how cheesy it is. It's bad.

I know it's on the lower end of the priorities, but we need someone new on these damn videos if we are going to keep pushing them out.

Chicat · Post by **Chicat** » Wed Jul 09, 2014 4:55 am

The cheesiness is part of the charm in my opinion. Make the videos Academy Award quality and the question is going to become, is this a football program or a film program?

azthrillhouse · Post by **azthrillhouse** » Wed Jul 09, 2014 7:00 am

Chicat wrote:The cheesiness is part of the charm in my opinion. Make the videos Academy Award quality and the question is going to become, is this a football program or a film program?

Yup this.

I thought this one was better than most of the recent ones - it's very cheesy, but coherently cheesy. Some of the others have left me scratching my head.

Ultimately, we are not the intended audience, so as long as it works with the recruits, our opinions are interesting but irrelevant.

CalStateTempe · Post by **CalStateTempe** » Wed Jul 09, 2014 7:09 am

I mean, that was pretty sweet.

Enjoyed the War and Peace, DMAFB,and golfing parts, the best.

Really sells the school. Love it.

BearDown89 · Post by **BearDown89** » Wed Jul 09, 2014 9:05 am

CalStateTempe wrote:I mean, that was pretty sweet.

Enjoyed the War and Peace, DMAFB,and golfing parts, the best.

Really sells the school. Love it.

azthrillhouse wrote:
Chicat wrote:The cheesiness is part of the charm in my opinion. Make the videos Academy Award quality and the question is going to become, is this a football program or a film program?
Yup this.

I thought this one was better than most of the recent ones - it's very cheesy, but coherently cheesy. Some of the others have left me scratching my head.

Ultimately, we are not the intended audience, so as long as it works with the recruits, our opinions are interesting but irrelevant.

Exactly. The bit with Devonte Neal scurrying away to McKale with a speedy delivery is funny and highlights his primary skill perfectly - delivering the ball to the endzone as fast as he can. The cheesiness is part of the fun. The fact that all of these guys are willing to put themselves out there and goof is great - it must do wonders for team culture, chemistry and comraderie I would imagine. It's also very cool that all of the different folks in the program get to participate and be introduced too, from RR's assistant to the assistant equipment guy, etc. Family. A recruit sees that video, gains some familiarity with folks in the program, sees who he's going to meet on a visit, and gets the message too. Brilliant.

jollything · Post by **jollything** » Wed Jul 09, 2014 10:05 am

Do you think the community has finally embraced RR and Co.? Byrne on the radio yesterday mentioned they have sold 2600 new season tickets for this season (the goal is to reach 5000 new season ticket holders). Maybe we can get a full stadium for some of these games this year.

The videos just seem to be perfect for the family/fun atmosphere that the staff has been trying to cultivate. Perfect for Tucson.

ASUHATER! · Post by **ASUHATER!** » Wed Jul 09, 2014 10:14 am

They are supposed to be goofy and cheesy. I think they work and are different from what any other program does. Good news for the tickets. Last year was bad. Averaged a good 7000 empty seats per game. Slightly better home schedule this year with Nevada unlv Colorado usc cal Washington and asu

TuiTouchdown · Post by **TuiTouchdown** » Wed Jul 09, 2014 10:15 am

azthrillhouse wrote:
Chicat wrote:The cheesiness is part of the charm in my opinion. Make the videos Academy Award quality and the question is going to become, is this a football program or a film program?
Yup this.

I thought this one was better than most of the recent ones - it's very cheesy, but coherently cheesy. Some of the others have left me scratching my head.

Ultimately, we are not the intended audience, so as long as it works with the recruits, our opinions are interesting but irrelevant.

Disagree. I work in a field built on perception, you create a piece of work that comes off corny or cheesy, you come off corny and cheesy.

Think about who's the target audience for this: High School kids who want to kick ass in football and are looking to play for a kick ass football team. You don't talk to those people in visual puns. The jokes seem to be written by and for soccer moms. Oh he read a book really fast! Oh they finished their food really fast! That means we're fast... I get it.

Same as the Speed videos and Rich Rod's Wild Wild West. Let's get a professional down there to help them out. Their thinking is right, but their execution is lacking.

jollything · Post by **jollything** » Wed Jul 09, 2014 10:25 am

The videos get Arizona's brand out there, I haven't seen anyone doing what we are doing. I don't think it matters that some of them are cheesy, because we put out our fair share of the bad ass videos as well. But the run of the mill "Bad Ass" videos aren't getting the coverage on the a lot of the sites simply because it's already been done. The "cheesy" videos are different something new and gets people talking about our program in the offseason, and that's a good thing.

ElGatoBlanco · Post by **ElGatoBlanco** » Wed Jul 09, 2014 10:31 am

To be honest I'd rather see less videos and more recruits that are actually wanted by other BCS programs.

TuiTouchdown · Post by **TuiTouchdown** » Wed Jul 09, 2014 10:41 am

jollything wrote:The videos get Arizona's brand out there.

Yeah, if this is our brand, then that's a problem. Our brand can't and shouldn't be associated with corny and cheesy videos. It then translates to the brand being corny and cheesy, degrading the brand.

It's why you don't see Apple putting out silly videos of people using the iPhone. Ever since the iPod, they've kept the brand consistently slick and cool. Which is why it's one of the best consumer product stories out there. They don't let their brand be degraded with random-ass videos.

Look, I'm not trying to hate for hate's sake. I just know about branding and advertising yourself, and know that this isn't good for us. We can do better.

BearDown89 · Post by **BearDown89** » Wed Jul 09, 2014 10:57 am

You have to start somewhere and you have to build it. And they will come, right? At least we have a big name coach who's willing to do this stuff that has brought some attention to the football program. Arizona Football has enjoyed exactly zero meaningful national attention in the past. RR has brought ever-increasing attention, slowly but surely, to the program since his arrival. So long as they continue to pile up points on the board and build on the winning records, better recruits will come. He's only in the middle of his 3rd full recruiting cycle/class.

It's not like they're sitting on their assess. They're actually trying to do something.

In the mean time, keep tweeting, instagramming, producing videos and doing whatever else the kids think is progressive to get their attention.

BearDown89 · Post by **BearDown89** » Wed Jul 09, 2014 11:09 am

TuiTouchdown wrote:
jollything wrote:The videos get Arizona's brand out there.
Yeah, if this is our brand, then that's a problem. Our brand can't and shouldn't be associated with corny and cheesy videos. It then translates to the brand being corny and cheesy, degrading the brand.

It's why you don't see Apple putting out silly videos of people using the iPhone. Ever since the iPod, they've kept the brand consistently slick and cool. Which is why it's one of the best consumer product stories out there. They don't let their brand be degraded with random-ass videos.

Look, I'm not trying to hate for hate's sake. I just know about branding and advertising yourself, and know that this isn't good for us. We can do better.

And the Arizona Football program isn't Apple. Not even remotely the same thing in terms of product, market and resourses. Dare I say, you're comparing Apples and oranges

- a multi-billion dollar paradigm-shifting company with international products having world wide cultural significance in their use and design vs. a particular American college athletic program that has a very limited appeal and market by its very nature - the University of Arizona football recruit/fan.

I get what you're saying, but lighten up Francis. They'll get better at it. The point is they're trying to be creative and progressive. Works for me in context.

OsideCat · Post by **OsideCat** » Wed Jul 09, 2014 11:11 am

BearDown89 wrote:You have to start somewhere and you have to build it. And they will come, right? At least we have a big name coach who's willing to do this stuff that has brought some attention to the football program. Arizona Football has enjoyed exactly zero meaningful national attention in the past. RR has brought ever-increasing attention, slowly but surely, to the program since his arrival. So long as they continue to pile up points on the board and build on the winning records, better recruits will come. He's only in the middle of his 3rd full recruiting cycle/class.

It's not like they're sitting on their assess. They're actually trying to do something.

In the mean time, keep tweeting, instagramming, producing videos and doing whatever else the kids think is progressive to get their attention.

This x10

Bottom line its early July and Arizona Football is being talked about nationally because of a goofy video, just like 4 months ago with Speed and a year ago with Hard Edge.

ASUHATER! · Post by **ASUHATER!** » Wed Jul 09, 2014 11:50 am

It's a good thing everyone that knows about the ua and football and marketing and marketing the ua disagrees with tuitouchdown...because the videos are working

ElGatoBlanco · Post by **ElGatoBlanco** » Wed Jul 09, 2014 12:31 pm

ASUHATER! wrote:It's a good thing everyone that knows about the ua and football and marketing and marketing the ua disagrees with tuitouchdown...because the videos are working

What or who are they working on exactly?

TuiTouchdown · Post by **TuiTouchdown** » Wed Jul 09, 2014 12:38 pm

ASUHATER! wrote:It's a good thing everyone that knows about the ua and football and marketing and marketing the ua disagrees with tuitouchdown...because the videos are working

Yup, got me there. Or maybe I'm right about this. Maybe I actually know about advertising because I'm a creative at an actual ad agency. Maybe, because Tucson has no real advertising agency to speak of, the UofA uses marketing interns to create video content instead of professionals who understand craft. It looks like it was produced by the same people who produce the Jim Click used car commercials.

But whatever, if you guys all like it, that's cool. But I'm just telling you, from my professional opinion, it hurts our brand.

OsideCat · Post by **OsideCat** » Wed Jul 09, 2014 12:51 pm

TuiTouchdown wrote:
ASUHATER! wrote:It's a good thing everyone that knows about the ua and football and marketing and marketing the ua disagrees with tuitouchdown...because the videos are working
Yup, got me there. Or maybe I'm right about this. Maybe I actually know about advertising because I'm a creative at an actual ad agency. Maybe, because Tucson has no real advertising agency to speak of, the UofA uses marketing interns to create video content instead of professionals who understand craft. It looks like it was produced by the same people who produce the Jim Click used car commercials.

But whatever, if you guys all like it, that's cool. But I'm just telling you, it hurts our brand.

Marketing interns have nothing to do with any videos produced by Arizona. You're right about Tucson agencies, but what you deem as bad branding, Greg Byrne, Rich Rodriguez, Fox Sports, Football Scoop and other industry experts clearly show you're wrong.

TuiTouchdown · Post by **TuiTouchdown** » Wed Jul 09, 2014 1:24 pm

Sorry, I meant to say that it LOOKS like it was done by a marketing intern.

GB, RR, Fox Sports, Football Scoop are all football/sports experts, not advertising or branding experts.

But whatever. We don't need to talk about this anymore. Have the last word.

ASUHATER! · Post by **ASUHATER!** » Wed Jul 09, 2014 1:24 pm

TuiTouchdown wrote:
ASUHATER! wrote:It's a good thing everyone that knows about the ua and football and marketing and marketing the ua disagrees with tuitouchdown...because the videos are working
Yup, got me there. Or maybe I'm right about this. Maybe I actually know about advertising because I'm a creative at an actual ad agency. Maybe, because Tucson has no real advertising agency to speak of, the UofA uses marketing interns to create video content instead of professionals who understand craft. It looks like it was produced by the same people who produce the Jim Click used car commercials.

But whatever, if you guys all like it, that's cool. But I'm just telling you, from my professional opinion, it hurts our brand.

except it isn't hurting our brand...at all. in this instance your professional opinion is absolutely incorrect and false.

TuiTouchdown · Post by **TuiTouchdown** » Wed Jul 09, 2014 1:28 pm

ASUHATER! wrote:except it isn't hurting our brand...at all. in this instance your professional opinion is absolutely incorrect and false.

Ok cool, that's your unprofessional opinion. Thanks.

BearDown89 · Post by **BearDown89** » Wed Jul 09, 2014 1:30 pm

TuiTouchdown wrote:
ASUHATER! wrote:It's a good thing everyone that knows about the ua and football and marketing and marketing the ua disagrees with tuitouchdown...because the videos are working
Yup, got me there. Or maybe I'm right about this. Maybe I actually know about advertising because I'm a creative at an actual ad agency. Maybe, because Tucson has no real advertising agency to speak of, the UofA uses marketing interns to create video content instead of professionals who understand craft. It looks like it was produced by the same people who produce the Jim Click used car commercials.

But whatever, if you guys all like it, that's cool. But I'm just telling you, from my professional opinion, it hurts our brand.

How? Why? As opposed to being harmless recruiting fun? Why so serious on this particular branding issue? Not trolling you either Tui, I'm honestly interested in your more specific professional thoughts. Not that I have any expertise, but I'm always fascinated by this type of stuff - an armchair student if you will.

Harvey Specter · Post by **Harvey Specter** » Wed Jul 09, 2014 2:07 pm

I don't have a real strong an opinion on this... But there seem to be a lot of "artistic license" with respect to assertions being made here.

Where exactly is the proof that this'd video is working? What had it proven to accomplish? And with whom?

And who exactly is talking about this video aside from UA message board die-hard faithful? Those who say this is "getting UA FB talked about" - who (aside from us - who talk about UA Football anyway) is paying attention to this?. Was this profiled on Sportscenter or something?

People on both sides of this debate are reaching.

Is it kind of corny? Yes, very much so. I think that's okay, and it might even be the point. It's like the type of a skit you would see on College Game Day - and proves that our staff can have some fun and not take themselves too seriously. Peyton Manning has a sh*t-ton of fans because he is comfortable being a goof in front of the camera.....

It also underscores the idea that Arizona Football is Fast. People will remember that.

That said, Byrne and Rich Rod are not branding or advertising experts, regardless of how much they know about college athletics. That's okay - it's not an AD campaign being run to sell season tickets... It this was running on TV stations, I'd be more inclined towards TuiTouchdown's opinion. It is a harmless YouTube video.

TuiTouchdown · Post by **TuiTouchdown** » Wed Jul 09, 2014 2:09 pm

BearDown89 wrote:
TuiTouchdown wrote: Yup, got me there. Or maybe I'm right about this. Maybe I actually know about advertising because I'm a creative at an actual ad agency. Maybe, because Tucson has no real advertising agency to speak of, the UofA uses marketing interns to create video content instead of professionals who understand craft. It looks like it was produced by the same people who produce the Jim Click used car commercials.

But whatever, if you guys all like it, that's cool. But I'm just telling you, from my professional opinion, it hurts our brand.
How? Why? As opposed to being harmless recruiting fun? Why so serious on this particular branding issue? Not trolling you either Tui, I'm honestly interested in your more specific professional thoughts. Not that I have any expertise, but I'm always fascinated by this type of stuff - an armchair student if you will.

OK cool, a conversation. In order for us to understand why I think it hurts our brand, we have to think about what our brand is. Let's say RR wants to rebrand us as a Hard Edge program, Hard Edge does not equal cheesy cowboy dress ups or silly visual puns. It in fact competes with that message.

Think about this train of thought: "Hey, kid who wants to play football in college, people may not know about Arizona football, but what we're building out here is something special. We have this mantra: Hard Edge. It's all about being the underdog, the unknown, fighting for your place in the world. We don't just want 5* prima donna, we want OKGs. The ones who haven't peaked in high school, but who will get better when they get here. You want to know more about our program, what Hard Edge means and what an OKG is? Take a look at this silly video of me in a cowboy hat."

Yes, it's great we're getting out there and getting our name out there. It's awesome we are making things with the intention that kids will see it to learn about our program. It's awesome if kids watch it, that they'll be seeing our message for 4 minutes.

But there's a way to do it where we get our message (brand) across. And it doesn't always need to be serious. It can be fun too!

RazorsEdgeAZ · Post by **RazorsEdgeAZ** » Wed Jul 09, 2014 2:10 pm

Guess I'll jump in.

I don't feel the latest video "hurts" the brand. Didn't think it was top notch either in drawing attention. It's off-season so there's that. Do the videos work? Don't know exactly what "works" means. May be different for Football staff than us fans. Don't know.

Getting recruits, drawing excitement, building attendance, staying relevant... I'm not sure we'll know if the videos worked until some time down the road. I feel UA ahead of the video/social media game right now than most other programs. I say keep at it. Stay in front.

Don't feel all the Football videos need to be home runs. It's just one video of many.

For now I feel RichRod is pulling UA into more everyday mainstream CFB circles by using his national recognition. Using videos that UA knows will be aggregated given RR's recognition (and lightning rod reputation) Why not? Football scoop, national media get clicks off RichRod stuff. UA benefits from exposure. Some good and Bad exposure I guess. But it gives UA more national exposure.

The latest video "only has 4300 views. The Football related videos "dance Off", "HardEdge" and "Speed" each had nearly 200k OR more views.

Pretty good for UA standards thus far. Those three vids rank 2,3 and 4 on UA youtube channel on total views.

Chicat · Post by **Chicat** » Wed Jul 09, 2014 2:15 pm

TuiTouchdown wrote:
ASUHATER! wrote:It's a good thing everyone that knows about the ua and football and marketing and marketing the ua disagrees with tuitouchdown...because the videos are working
Yup, got me there. Or maybe I'm right about this. Maybe I actually know about advertising because I'm a creative at an actual ad agency. Maybe, because Tucson has no real advertising agency to speak of, the UofA uses marketing interns to create video content instead of professionals who understand craft. It looks like it was produced by the same people who produce the Jim Click used car commercials.

But whatever, if you guys all like it, that's cool. But I'm just telling you, from my professional opinion, it hurts our brand.

I work in advertising as well, but I'm with a vendor that provides media space & opportunities.

You wouldn't believe the amount of terrible ads that we see that come from creative agencies. Stuff that's much worse than these videos coming from people making six figures but putting out creatives that look like they were done by a drunk six-year-old. What's their excuse?

TuiTouchdown · Post by **TuiTouchdown** » Wed Jul 09, 2014 2:21 pm

Chicat wrote:
TuiTouchdown wrote:
ASUHATER! wrote:It's a good thing everyone that knows about the ua and football and marketing and marketing the ua disagrees with tuitouchdown...because the videos are working
Yup, got me there. Or maybe I'm right about this. Maybe I actually know about advertising because I'm a creative at an actual ad agency. Maybe, because Tucson has no real advertising agency to speak of, the UofA uses marketing interns to create video content instead of professionals who understand craft. It looks like it was produced by the same people who produce the Jim Click used car commercials.

But whatever, if you guys all like it, that's cool. But I'm just telling you, from my professional opinion, it hurts our brand.
I work in advertising as well, but I'm with a vendor that provides media space & opportunities.

You wouldn't believe the amount of terrible ads that we see that come from creative agencies. Stuff that's much worse than these videos. From people making six figures but put out creatives that look like they were done by a drunk six-year-old. What's their excuse?

Oh yeah, there are bad creatives everywhere. 98% of advertising is shit. They're either drinking too much or not enough.

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Wed Jul 09, 2014 8:39 pm

I understand the complaints about the videos, but remember we are currently the national innovators of this type of recruiting material. Branding and quality of the videos will improve when or if we have to compete to stand out from the competition.

Right now we are the standard for every other program to follow. We are reaching out to the youtube generation in their preferred medium and getting noticed. Complaints about execution are great and can help us improve future videos, but I for one appreciate more that we are a national leader in reaching out to recruits with short videos.

Leaders are always criticized and followers are always complaining about the view.

ASUHATER! · Post by **ASUHATER!** » Wed Jul 09, 2014 8:47 pm

ANGCatFan wrote:I understand the complaints about the videos, but remember we are currently the national innovators of this type of recruiting material. Branding and quality of the videos will improve when or if we have to compete to stand out from the competition.

Right now we are the standard for every other program to follow. We are reaching out to the youtube generation in their preferred medium and getting noticed. Complaints about execution are great and can help us improve future videos, but I for one appreciate more that we are a national leader in reaching out to recruits with short videos.

Leaders are always criticized and followers are always complaining about the view.

exactly. yeah they videos are cheesy (they are supposed to be), but they are innovative and no one really does them like arizona. it works, it gets people talking. it grows the brand.

boat343 · Post by **boat343** » Wed Jul 09, 2014 10:33 pm

It's funny watching "marketing professionals" talk like that is a legitimate professionally developed skill. And then 99% of marketing is putting a popular face of a target audience behind a product. Well that degree was worth it...

IMO, the only vastly successful marketing scheme ever put together was Geico. But, then again I didn't go to college to master the empirical science of snake oil salesman.

Sorry about that rant... had an ex that was a "marketing professional." I'm sure it is a worthy career venture with tons of substance. But, come on... the videos are fine. The videos are a nice attention getter and something to laugh at and show that priority number 1 is to have fun. If they acted super corny face-to-face I'd be concerned... but I got a feeling this staff is as good as it gets when it comes to personal recruitment. Yes, parents probably get a good laugh out of them. And what of the fundamental things I've heard about recruiting is you have to win over mom and dad. Honestly, that is probably what keeps asu from becoming Alabama. The sex, drugs and rock & roll that takes place at that "university" is second to none. The place is an 18 year-old's oasis. The only thing that stops them is mom and dad saying "I'll be damned if my son goes to that school..."

UofACat23 · Post by **UofACat23** » Wed Jul 09, 2014 11:38 pm

TuiTouchdown wrote:
OK cool, a conversation. In order for us to understand why I think it hurts our brand, we have to think about what our brand is. Let's say RR wants to rebrand us as a Hard Edge program, Hard Edge does not equal cheesy cowboy dress ups or silly visual puns. It in fact competes with that message.

Think about this train of thought: "Hey, kid who wants to play football in college, people may not know about Arizona football, but what we're building out here is something special. We have this mantra: Hard Edge. It's all about being the underdog, the unknown, fighting for your place in the world. We don't just want 5* prima donna, we want OKGs. The ones who haven't peaked in high school, but who will get better when they get here. You want to know more about our program, what Hard Edge means and what an OKG is? Take a look at this silly video of me in a cowboy hat."

Yes, it's great we're getting out there and getting our name out there. It's awesome we are making things with the intention that kids will see it to learn about our program. It's awesome if kids watch it, that they'll be seeing our message for 4 minutes.

But there's a way to do it where we get our message (brand) across. And it doesn't always need to be serious. It can be fun too!

It's not all about Hard Edge, it's not all about being the underdog and fighting, it's not all about OKGs. It's not all about football. Sure, those things are important, but what's equally important to Arizona's brand has nothing to do with that.

The brand they are trying to build is to show recruits that Arizona is a place where the coaches and staff generally care about their players and enjoy spending time with each other. It's a place where the coach isn't just a drill sergeant but actually has a sense of humor off the field. It's an atmosphere that kids want to be a part of because it's fun.

What really separates Arizona and this staff from other programs is their personality, and these videos highlight that personality perfectly.

It may not be the brand you want for Arizona, but I think you're being too dismissive of the positives. They aren't trying to sell a product, they are trying to sell a fun atmosphere to high school kids. Maybe they could do it better, but I don't think the recruits see these videos and think we're goofy, I think they watch them, laugh, and think "I could see myself playing for a staff like that."

In your profession do you do much recruitment? I'm generally curious because it seems to me that while some of the principles are likely similar, there are some significant differences between creating a brand to sell a product, and creating a brand to recruit employees. For example, I would be shocked if apple recruited employees in the same manner they sell iphones... I would guess they focus on the compensation/benefits/exciting cutting edge work/office atmosphere/co-workers/etc and probably don't talk about how "cool" apple products are.

Chicat · Post by **Chicat** » Thu Jul 10, 2014 12:41 am

UofACat23 wrote:
TuiTouchdown wrote:
OK cool, a conversation. In order for us to understand why I think it hurts our brand, we have to think about what our brand is. Let's say RR wants to rebrand us as a Hard Edge program, Hard Edge does not equal cheesy cowboy dress ups or silly visual puns. It in fact competes with that message.

Think about this train of thought: "Hey, kid who wants to play football in college, people may not know about Arizona football, but what we're building out here is something special. We have this mantra: Hard Edge. It's all about being the underdog, the unknown, fighting for your place in the world. We don't just want 5* prima donna, we want OKGs. The ones who haven't peaked in high school, but who will get better when they get here. You want to know more about our program, what Hard Edge means and what an OKG is? Take a look at this silly video of me in a cowboy hat."

Yes, it's great we're getting out there and getting our name out there. It's awesome we are making things with the intention that kids will see it to learn about our program. It's awesome if kids watch it, that they'll be seeing our message for 4 minutes.

But there's a way to do it where we get our message (brand) across. And it doesn't always need to be serious. It can be fun too!
It's not all about Hard Edge, it's not all about being the underdog and fighting, it's not all about OKGs. It's not all about football. Sure, those things are important, but what's equally important to Arizona's brand has nothing to do with that.

The brand they are trying to build is to show recruits that Arizona is a place where the coaches and staff generally care about their players and enjoy spending time with each other. It's a place where the coach isn't just a drill sergeant but actually has a sense of humor off the field. It's an atmosphere that kids want to be a part of because it's fun.

What really separates Arizona and this staff from other programs is their personality, and these videos highlight that personality perfectly.

It may not be the brand you want for Arizona, but I think you're being too dismissive of the positives. They aren't trying to sell a product, they are trying to sell a fun atmosphere to high school kids. Maybe they could do it better, but I don't think the recruits see these videos and think we're goofy, I think they watch them, laugh, and think "I could see myself playing for a staff like that."

In your profession do you do much recruitment? I'm generally curious because it seems to me that while some of the principles are likely similar, there are some significant differences between creating a brand to sell a product, and creating a brand to recruit employees. For example, I would be shocked if apple recruited employees in the same manner they sell iphones... I would guess they focus on the compensation/benefits/exciting cutting edge work/office atmosphere/co-workers/etc and probably don't talk about how "cool" apple products are.

Lot of good points here.

I keep going back in my mind to RickRod dancing in the locker room at the end of fall camp last year. Now, the guy is not much of a dancer. But he put himself out there as a part of the team. And the team fucking loved it. They went apeshit when he busted out that half-assed pop&lock. Why? For the same reasons why these videos resonate. Everyone is having fun. Everyone is working toward the same goal. No one is bigger than the team. No one is bigger than the family. No one takes themselves too seriously. Everyone is all in.

On to the next one....

TuiTouchdown · Post by **TuiTouchdown** » Thu Jul 10, 2014 3:09 am

Chicat wrote:
UofACat23 wrote:
It's not all about Hard Edge, it's not all about being the underdog and fighting, it's not all about OKGs. It's not all about football. Sure, those things are important, but what's equally important to Arizona's brand has nothing to do with that.

The brand they are trying to build is to show recruits that Arizona is a place where the coaches and staff generally care about their players and enjoy spending time with each other. It's a place where the coach isn't just a drill sergeant but actually has a sense of humor off the field. It's an atmosphere that kids want to be a part of because it's fun.

What really separates Arizona and this staff from other programs is their personality, and these videos highlight that personality perfectly.

It may not be the brand you want for Arizona, but I think you're being too dismissive of the positives. They aren't trying to sell a product, they are trying to sell a fun atmosphere to high school kids. Maybe they could do it better, but I don't think the recruits see these videos and think we're goofy, I think they watch them, laugh, and think "I could see myself playing for a staff like that."

In your profession do you do much recruitment? I'm generally curious because it seems to me that while some of the principles are likely similar, there are some significant differences between creating a brand to sell a product, and creating a brand to recruit employees. For example, I would be shocked if apple recruited employees in the same manner they sell iphones... I would guess they focus on the compensation/benefits/exciting cutting edge work/office atmosphere/co-workers/etc and probably don't talk about how "cool" apple products are.
Lot of good points here.

I keep going back in my mind to RickRod dancing in the locker room at the end of fall camp last year. Now, the guy is not much of a dancer. But he put himself out there as a part of the team. And the team fucking loved it. They went apeshit when he busted out that half-assed pop&lock. Why? For the same reasons why these videos resonate. Everyone is having fun. Everyone is working toward the same goal. No one is bigger than the team. No one is bigger than the family. No one takes themselves too seriously. Everyone is all in.

On to the next one....

UofACat23:
Yeah I get that it's not about Hard Edge, it was just a hypothetical for how brand degradation works. I do think it's good to show the coach's personality and behind-the-scenes shit, I also think it's important to be innovative and have entertaining videos out there. But again, the concept and craft is lacking. If, say, they were to have shot this on a handheld camcorder from the 80's, we'd all say they were crazy for not using HD cameras. That's how it feels for me. The video's concept, the script, the production, the editing, almost everything but the cameras are just low quality. Again, which I feels communicates something negative on the subconscious level.

And it's funny that you ask, but I am doing some outreach recruiting for my agency right now. What we create will be different from, say, a TV spot, but it will be consistent with our company's brand. Otherwise we'd be shooting ourselves in the foot. Apple absolutely does everything, from selling iPhones to recruiting the Apple way. It will be communicating different things, but the style will be all Apple. Same with Google and Nike.

ChiCat:
Oh man, yeah that video at the end of spring was awesome. The reason I liked that was it was real, genuine, and a great view of our staff and how we run shit. Bring on those kind of videos all day.

These scripted videos just make me face palm every time I see them. I am in a unique position that I create film and communication pieces to help sell brands/ideas so I felt like offering my opinion as a trained professional. That's cool you guys like it.

TuiTouchdown · Post by **TuiTouchdown** » Thu Jul 10, 2014 3:12 am

boat343 wrote:It's funny watching "marketing professionals" talk like that is a legitimate professionally developed skill. And then 99% of marketing is putting a popular face of a target audience behind a product. Well that degree was worth it...

IMO, the only vastly successful marketing scheme ever put together was Geico. But, then again I didn't go to college to master the empirical science of snake oil salesman.

Sorry about that rant... had an ex that was a "marketing professional." I'm sure it is a worthy career venture with tons of substance. But, come on... the videos are fine. The videos are a nice attention getter and something to laugh at and show that priority number 1 is to have fun. If they acted super corny face-to-face I'd be concerned... but I got a feeling this staff is as good as it gets when it comes to personal recruitment. Yes, parents probably get a good laugh out of them. And what of the fundamental things I've heard about recruiting is you have to win over mom and dad. Honestly, that is probably what keeps asu from becoming Alabama. The sex, drugs and rock & roll that takes place at that "university" is second to none. The place is an 18 year-old's oasis. The only thing that stops them is mom and dad saying "I'll be damned if my son goes to that school..."

Ha that was funny. Yes, many advertising and marketing professionals are shit.

EastCoastCat · Post by **EastCoastCat** » Thu Jul 10, 2014 6:38 am

I will put my two cents in as I used to be an Account Manager for one of the large ad agencies in NYC meaning I wrote brand strategies for breakfeast.

You really need to look at this as one execution as part of an overall campaign, which is what I think the UA Football/marketing dept. is trying to do. To me this video appears to be right on strategy as they want to communicate to their audience, in this case prospective 18 year old football players, the style of play is uptempo and quick not only during games but at practice,etc...Tui, maybe your point is more around the production quality of the execution which I agree is a little cheesy and I can see would strike a chord with your creative juices. I might counter that opinion with the fact this "tongue and cheek" approach is not really too far off of the tonality set forth from RR and his program, which I sense has a little fun/humorous side to it. Since UA football does not have the pride/heritage of a Notre Dame or USC, which would lend itself to more high-brow executions, I don't think this spot in any way ruins the UA football brand going forward. A brand strategy can aspire, but consumers will call bullshit if you try and become something you are not - I've seen that fail too many times.

But that's just my opinion, and it wouldnt be the first time I've butted heads with a creative.

TuiTouchdown · Post by **TuiTouchdown** » Thu Jul 10, 2014 7:15 am

EastCoastCat wrote:I will put my two cents in as I used to be an Account Manager for one of the large ad agencies in NYC meaning I wrote brand strategies for breakfeast.

You really need to look at this as one execution as part of an overall campaign, which is what I think the UA Football/marketing dept. is trying to do. To me this video appears to be right on strategy as they want to communicate to their audience, in this case prospective 18 year old football players, the style of play is uptempo and quick not only during games but at practice,etc...Tui, maybe your point is more around the production quality of the execution which I agree is a little cheesy and I can see would strike a chord with your creative juices. I might counter that opinion with the fact this "tongue and cheek" approach is not really too far off of the tonality set forth from RR and his program, which I sense has a little fun/humorous side to it. Since UA football does not have the pride/heritage of a Notre Dame or USC, which would lend itself to more high-brow executions, I don't think this spot in any way ruins the UA football brand going forward. A brand strategy can aspire, but consumers will call bullshit if you try and become something you are not - I've seen that fail too many times.

But that's just my opinion, and it wouldnt be the first time I've butted heads with a creative.

Typical account guy

BearDown89 · Post by **BearDown89** » Thu Jul 10, 2014 8:35 am

Good stuff you guys.

I'm happy that we're talking about and debating marketing and branding Arizona Football. I'm not sure that's ever been much of a topic before GB/RR, this AD and staffs. Now it is and that can only be good.

BearDown89 · Post by **BearDown89** » Thu Jul 10, 2014 11:18 am

Harvey Specter wrote:I don't have a real strong an opinion on this... But there seem to be a lot of "artistic license" with respect to assertions being made here.

Where exactly is the proof that this'd video is working? What had it proven to accomplish? And with whom?

And who exactly is talking about this video aside from UA message board die-hard faithful? Those who say this is "getting UA FB talked about" - who (aside from us - who talk about UA Football anyway) is paying attention to this?. Was this profiled on Sportscenter or something?

People on both sides of this debate are reaching.

Is it kind of corny? Yes, very much so. I think that's okay, and it might even be the point. It's like the type of a skit you would see on College Game Day - and proves that our staff can have some fun and not take themselves too seriously. Peyton Manning has a sh*t-ton of fans because he is comfortable being a goof in front of the camera.....

It also underscores the idea that Arizona Football is Fast. People will remember that.

That said, Byrne and Rich Rod are not branding or advertising experts, regardless of how much they know about college athletics. That's okay - it's not an AD campaign being run to sell season tickets... It this was running on TV stations, I'd be more inclined towards TuiTouchdown's opinion. It is a harmless YouTube video.

ESPN for one. http://espn.go.com/blog/pac12/post/_/id ... -hollywood
And I first came across the video on footballscoop.com - an industry site. More than 400,000 youtube views - that's 7 times the capacity of Arizona Stadium. People are indeed watching and talking.

Harvey Specter · Post by **Harvey Specter** » Fri Jul 11, 2014 9:57 pm

BearDown89 wrote:
Harvey Specter wrote:I don't have a real strong an opinion on this... But there seem to be a lot of "artistic license" with respect to assertions being made here.

Where exactly is the proof that this'd video is working? What had it proven to accomplish? And with whom?

And who exactly is talking about this video aside from UA message board die-hard faithful? Those who say this is "getting UA FB talked about" - who (aside from us - who talk about UA Football anyway) is paying attention to this?. Was this profiled on Sportscenter or something?

People on both sides of this debate are reaching.

Is it kind of corny? Yes, very much so. I think that's okay, and it might even be the point. It's like the type of a skit you would see on College Game Day - and proves that our staff can have some fun and not take themselves too seriously. Peyton Manning has a sh*t-ton of fans because he is comfortable being a goof in front of the camera.....

It also underscores the idea that Arizona Football is Fast. People will remember that.

That said, Byrne and Rich Rod are not branding or advertising experts, regardless of how much they know about college athletics. That's okay - it's not an AD campaign being run to sell season tickets... It this was running on TV stations, I'd be more inclined towards TuiTouchdown's opinion. It is a harmless YouTube video.
ESPN for one. http://espn.go.com/blog/pac12/post/_/id ... -hollywood
And I first came across the video on footballscoop.com - an industry site. More than 400,000 youtube views - that's 7 times the capacity of Arizona Stadium. People are indeed watching and talking.

Fair enough.. That's a lot of YouTube views.

I saw the ESPN coverage yesterday... And figured someone would point that out. The comments about about all the "buzz" seemed a bit premature - albeit ultimately prescient.

Puerco · Post by **Puerco** » Sat Jul 12, 2014 1:08 am

At the risk of disagreeing with ASUHater's omniscient proclamations, I actually agree with Tui for the most part. The videos are cheesy, and they're becoming part of the brand. Is that acceptable? Well, let me ask you this: would you be happy with this kind if video if the basketball team put it out?

I wouldn't.

ECC makes some good points up above, though. Worth considering.

Chicat · Post by **Chicat** » Sat Jul 12, 2014 5:24 am

Puerco wrote:At the risk of disagreeing with ASUHater's omniscient proclamations, I actually agree with Tui for the most part. The videos are cheesy, and they're becoming part of the brand. Is that acceptable? Well, let me ask you this: would you be happy with this kind if video if the basketball team put it out?

I wouldn't.

ECC makes some good points up above, though. Worth considering.

The basketball team and the football team are two totally different entities with separate histories, trajectories, and goals. Verizon and Cricket Wireless might be companies in the same industry but that doesn't mean their branding should be identical.

And let's not forget that both Lute Olson and Sean Miller have done their fair share of extremely cheesy commercials which I don't hear anyone complaining hurts the AZBB brand.

If and when Arizona Football becomes a powerhouse and can recruit on reputation and results alone, then I'd be willing to entertain the idea that a cheesy offseason video hurts more than it helps. Until then though I'm of the opinion that we need all the help we can get. And getting the name out there in the national media and on social media during the offseason can really only help keep Arizona Football top of mind with fans and recruits.

EastCoastCat · Post by **EastCoastCat** » Sat Jul 12, 2014 7:37 am

Chicat wrote:
Puerco wrote:At the risk of disagreeing with ASUHater's omniscient proclamations, I actually agree with Tui for the most part. The videos are cheesy, and they're becoming part of the brand. Is that acceptable? Well, let me ask you this: would you be happy with this kind if video if the basketball team put it out?

I wouldn't.

ECC makes some good points up above, though. Worth considering.
The basketball team and the football team are two totally different entities with separate histories, trajectories, and goals. Verizon and Cricket Wireless might be companies in the same industry but that doesn't mean their branding should be identical.

And let's not forget that both Lute Olson and Sean Miller have done their fair share of extremely cheesy commercials which I don't hear anyone complaining hurts the AZBB brand.

If and when Arizona Football becomes a powerhouse and can recruit on reputation and results alone, then I'd be willing to entertain the idea that a cheesy offseason video hurts more than it helps. Until then though I'm of the opinion that we need all the help we can get. And getting the name out there in the national media and on social media during the offseason can really only help keep Arizona Football top of mind with fans and recruits.

This...plus the fact the videos the BB program puts out has a much different message and executional tonality. if I recall correctly most of them incorporate the rich "proud" tradition of the program leveraging many of our past successful teams and players. And from a branding standpoint that has now evolved to "A Players Program" with the tagline 'Past. Present and Future" which I think is, as 97Cats would say, right where we want to be.

ASUHATER! · Post by **ASUHATER!** » Sat Jul 12, 2014 8:43 am

Chicat wrote:
Puerco wrote:At the risk of disagreeing with ASUHater's omniscient proclamations, I actually agree with Tui for the most part. The videos are cheesy, and they're becoming part of the brand. Is that acceptable? Well, let me ask you this: would you be happy with this kind if video if the basketball team put it out?

I wouldn't.

ECC makes some good points up above, though. Worth considering.
The basketball team and the football team are two totally different entities with separate histories, trajectories, and goals. Verizon and Cricket Wireless might be companies in the same industry but that doesn't mean their branding should be identical.

And let's not forget that both Lute Olson and Sean Miller have done their fair share of extremely cheesy commercials which I don't hear anyone complaining hurts the AZBB brand.

If and when Arizona Football becomes a powerhouse and can recruit on reputation and results alone, then I'd be willing to entertain the idea that a cheesy offseason video hurts more than it helps. Until then though I'm of the opinion that we need all the help we can get. And getting the name out there in the national media and on social media during the offseason can really only help keep Arizona Football top of mind with fans and recruits.

We have a winner. Yet again, they are supposed to be kinda cheesy. Many people a lot more connected and smarter about the program than we are have worked on these and approved them...and they are working. I'll trust our marketing department and Greg Byrne and Rich Rod long before I trust "expert" tuitouchdown.

OsideCat · Post by **OsideCat** » Mon Jul 28, 2014 7:11 pm

Curios to get Tui's (and other marketing and non marketing experts) take on the latest Arizona Football video #BeThe1.

[youtube]x7rYn9atq78[/youtube]

Login • Register