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New Nickname


ShilohSioux

  

319 members have voted

  1. 1. What name should replace "Fighting Sioux" after it's retired?

    • Aviators or Pilots
      12
    • Cavalry
      18
    • Nodaks
      11
    • Nokotas
      21
    • Norse, Nordics, Fighting Norsemen
      46
    • Outlaws
      13
    • Plainsmen
      4
    • Rangers
      6
    • Rough Riders
      79
    • Other
      109


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I'm making a call here and now: 

< gestures toward left field bleachers with bat > 

 

The new UND nickname will be found somewhere, somehow, in SSN-784's ship's crest.  

 

Interesting concept.  Some that are eliminated but could apply to your theory: Reapers, Shockers, Wheatkings, Tomahawks, Revolvers, Arrows (arrowhead), Hunters (Orion). 

 

Ones that might still have a chance (stretching on a few of these): Aurora, Blazing Stars, Bombers, Charging Nokota, Fighting Green, Force/Force of the North, Green Bombers, Nodaks, North Stars, Northern Lights, Pride, Riders/Rough Riders, Warriors/Warriors of the North.

 

Probably missed a few on both lists but just what I got after a quick glance and some of them are a stretch.

 

SSN784Crest.jpg

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What is the goal in this process?  How can a logo for a Force, Spirit, Sundog, (insert name here) be more unifying than the interlocking logo we have used for the better part of a century?  Does anyone actually think we lose recruits by having no nickname?  I'm looking for help here.

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What is the goal in this process? How can a logo for a Force, Spirit, Sundog, (insert name here) be more unifying than the interlocking logo we have used for the better part of a century? Does anyone actually think we lose recruits by having no nickname? I'm looking for help here.

A new logo allows for merchandising options which will help programs with the increase in sales.

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A new logo allows for merchandising options which will help programs with the increase in sales.

Exactly! You absolutely have to have a mascot on a t-shirt to sell merchandise. Just ask Oregon about their O, Michigan about their M, Alabama about their A, Wisconsin about their W, Oklahoma about their OU, Tennessee about their T, Washington about their W, Miami about their U...wait a second! Those aren't logos, they're letters!

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A new logo allows for merchandising options which will help programs with the increase in sales.

I thought I read that someone with inside information said that merchandising income is way overblown - knowing that no matter what it is it won't have the national appeal of FIghting Sioux - of course there will be an initial bump with local fans but the claims of millions of dollars in lost revenue is just a ruse to push for not staying with "North Dakota" (if you believe the black helicopter group). 

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I thought I read that someone with inside information said that merchandising income is way overblown - knowing that no matter what it is it won't have the national appeal of FIghting Sioux - of course there will be an initial bump with local fans but the claims of millions of dollars in lost revenue is just a ruse to push for not staying with "North Dakota" (if you believe the black helicopter group).

From 2008 to 2010, UND made an average of $279,000 each year in royalties from all marks and logos, including the Fighting Sioux.

When the controversy came to a head in 2011, royalty payments abruptly jumped to more than $624,000. Royalties remained high at more than $606,000 in 2012 and decreased to about $520,000 in 2013.

These revenues are based off 10% of the sales of merchandise.

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A new logo allows for merchandising options which will help programs with the increase in sales.

 

 

Exactly! You absolutely have to have a mascot on a t-shirt to sell merchandise. Just ask Oregon about their O, Michigan about their M, Alabama about their A, Wisconsin about their W, Oklahoma about their OU, Tennessee about their T, Washington about their W, Miami about their U...wait a second! Those aren't logos, they're letters!

Oh wait, you're comparing Power 5 conference schools with a school that finished moving up to Division I a couple of years ago.  Schools that have used those logos for years, most for decades.  Schools that get a lot of national TV coverage.  Versus a small, lesser known school going through a nickname and logo change.  That makes sense.  And you substituted the word absolutely for the word options that southpaw used.  Got it, good comparison.

 

If you want to compare the use of letters, use the interlocking ND.  How has that done for UND recognition?  UND has used it for decades.  If you show the interlocking ND logo to random people at sporting events in Los Angeles, Dallas, Atlanta, New York City, or even Minneapolis, what school are most of them going to think it belongs to?  UND or Notre Dame?  Pretty unique to UND isn't it?  Or not so much.  And that's true even though Notre Dame also uses a small, bearded guy in another logo.  Does anyone actually believe that continuing with the interlocking ND logo as the main UND logo is going to help build recognition for UND?

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From 2008 to 2010, UND made an average of $279,000 each year in royalties from all marks and logos, including the Fighting Sioux.

When the controversy came to a head in 2011, royalty payments abruptly jumped to more than $624,000. Royalties remained high at more than $606,000 in 2012 and decreased to about $520,000 in 2013.

These revenues are based off 10% of the sales of merchandise.

I think by 2008 people knew the writing was on the wall - you really can't use any sales numbers for the last 3 years as any type of bench mark - thoughts on a new name/logo matching these numbers? 

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Oh wait, you're comparing Power 5 conference schools with a school that finished moving up to Division I a couple of years ago.  Schools that have used those logos for years, most for decades.  Schools that get a lot of national TV coverage.  Versus a small, lesser known school going through a nickname and logo change.  That makes sense.  And you substituted the word absolutely for the word options that southpaw used.  Got it, good comparison.

 

If you want to compare the use of letters, use the interlocking ND.  How has that done for UND recognition?  UND has used it for decades.  If you show the interlocking ND logo to random people at sporting events in Los Angeles, Dallas, Atlanta, New York City, or even Minneapolis, what school are most of them going to think it belongs to?  UND or Notre Dame?  Pretty unique to UND isn't it?  Or not so much.  And that's true even though Notre Dame also uses a small, bearded guy in another logo.  Does anyone actually believe that continuing with the interlocking ND logo as the main UND logo is going to help build recognition for UND?

 

South Dakota State came out with a fancy new logo package a few years back, is their brand any more recognized in LA, Dallas, Atlanta?  How about Coastal Carolina, how many casual sports fan look at their logo and think of the Chanticleers?  We are a regional school in the grand scheme of things, that's not a slight against us it is just facts.  

 

Picking a 'unique for unique sake' nickname will not differentiate us or grow our brand, it will make us look like every other directional/regional school in the country.  We won't stand out, we'll just blend in. 

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Oh wait, you're comparing Power 5 conference schools with a school that finished moving up to Division I a couple of years ago.  Schools that have used those logos for years, most for decades.  Schools that get a lot of national TV coverage.  Versus a small, lesser known school going through a nickname and logo change.  That makes sense.  And you substituted the word absolutely for the word options that southpaw used.  Got it, good comparison.

 

If you want to compare the use of letters, use the interlocking ND.  How has that done for UND recognition?  UND has used it for decades.  If you show the interlocking ND logo to random people at sporting events in Los Angeles, Dallas, Atlanta, New York City, or even Minneapolis, what school are most of them going to think it belongs to?  UND or Notre Dame?  Pretty unique to UND isn't it?  Or not so much.  And that's true even though Notre Dame also uses a small, bearded guy in another logo.  Does anyone actually believe that continuing with the interlocking ND logo as the main UND logo is going to help build recognition for UND?

 

Only one thing is going to help build recognition for UND-  WINNING.    Successful sports teams and solid education programs is what builds a brand and gets you recognized. 

 

The argument a new logo is somehow going to get people to stand up and pay attention to a university in what most people in the country consider the middle of nowhere, is just patently untrue.    

 

There's more risk that a bland, dumb moniker is going to turn off more people than a "great" new moniker with zero tradition behind it is going to suddenly generate new fans and interest in UND. 

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New nickname => Do it right, I'm buying something, maybe a lot of things.

 

New nickname => Do it wrong, I'm probably not buying anything, but I'll wait for a new hockey sweater to decide for sure.

 

No new nickname => I'm definitely not buying anything. Period.

 

It's not a conspiracy…it's marketing.

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I'd never discount the importance of winning, but I've got to believe that having a readily identifiable brand on clothing and in and around the home has a tremendous impact on kids growing up and wanting to be a part of a particular school's tradition, thereby driving enrollment and growth well into the future.

 

Goofy animated caricatures and mascots may not be your cup of tea, but they certainly score with a key demographic.  And royalty revenue can have very tangible benefits.

 

If nothing else, next Christmas could be super easy for those of you with out-of-town friends and relatives (especially younger ones), all courtesy of UND's re-branding efforts. 

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South Dakota State came out with a fancy new logo package a few years back, is their brand any more recognized in LA, Dallas, Atlanta?  How about Coastal Carolina, how many casual sports fan look at their logo and think of the Chanticleers?  We are a regional school in the grand scheme of things, that's not a slight against us it is just facts.  

 

Picking a 'unique for unique sake' nickname will not differentiate us or grow our brand, it will make us look like every other directional/regional school in the country.  We won't stand out, we'll just blend in. 

You missed the point entirely.  Mafia used examples of big name schools that used letters as a logo to try and prove that you don't need a logo to be successful..  I pointed out that they had been using those logos for years, and that comparing them to a smaller school starting to use a new logo wasn't a fair comparison.  I said that a better comparison was UND's use of the interlocking ND since UND has been using that for many years.  Yet most people still associate the interlocking ND with Notre Dame, not UND.  UND finding a new nickname and logo aren't going to guarantee recognition outside the region, but they would have a better chance of doing so than continuing to use no nickname and the interlocking ND as the main logo.

 

Only one thing is going to help build recognition for UND-  WINNING.    Successful sports teams and solid education programs is what builds a brand and gets you recognized. 

 

The argument a new logo is somehow going to get people to stand up and pay attention to a university in what most people in the country consider the middle of nowhere, is just patently untrue.    

 

There's more risk that a bland, dumb moniker is going to turn off more people than a "great" new moniker with zero tradition behind it is going to suddenly generate new fans and interest in UND. 

UND started using the Sioux name in 1930.  They used a bunch of different logos over the years.  But merchandise sales didn't take off until the Brien logo started being used.  That logo WAS known by at least some people outside the region.  That same logo is a huge part of why so many people still want to use the Sioux nickname.  Obviously, getting a new logo worked for UND in 1999.  But according to some of you, a new logo doesn't have a chance to make any difference going forward.  UND already has proof that a new logo CAN make a difference.

 

There is absolutely no guarantee that a new nickname and/or logo will make a difference.  And they definitely aren't going to create a huge new fanbase instantly.  But a new nickname and logo at least have a chance to become recognizable just like the Brien logo did.  Using no nickname and using the interlocking ND logo are going to do nothing for UND.  People outside the region don't care about the NCAA taking the name away from UND.  And they automatically think Notre Dame when they see anything resembling an interlocking ND.  It is time to start fresh with something new.

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New nickname => Do it right, I'm buying something, maybe a lot of things.

 

New nickname => Do it wrong, I'm probably not buying anything, but I'll wait for a new hockey sweater to decide for sure.

 

No new nickname => I'm definitely not buying anything. Period.

 

It's not a conspiracy…it's marketing.

So you will never buy anything that only says North Dakota on it?  interesting....   

 

I know I will never wear a sweatshirt with "Fighting Greens", and a whole host of other WTF type nicknames that are still on the consideration list.     

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