Examples of UW’s Failed Marketing & Branding Thread (Add to the list)

Topic

This stuff is driving me up the wall.

Yesterday, Paul Finebaum said Oregon is the only team with a shot at the playoff in the Pac-12. “They’ve had other teams in the playoff.” Guy cant even say Washington.

No one knows UW has met the blue chip ratio but not Oregon. Their branding and marketing is killing us.

The whole BLM protests and such. Jimmy Lake was nowhere to be found. ESPN in recent months had David Shaw on and James Franklin. Why not Jimmy Lake? Hello? Black head coach!! This is free publicity.

The CFB show on Fox just had Cristobal on. This is a more Pac-12 centric show.

This is just in the offseason.

Recruiting- We’ve failed to sell our history to local players. Specifically, history of WR and DL success and from local guys. We should be beating that drum often to recruits with tweets and IG posts. We should be promoting that we have the most guys in the NFL and have been the best team in Pac last 5, 6 years.

Speaking of Twitter, we have nothing on our UW Football Twitter Bio.

This is what we have: TEAM. UNIT. ME. #PurpleReign #BowDown

This is what it should say: Home of 3 National Titles (’60,’84,’91), 17 Pac-12 Titles, 15 Rose Bowls, Loudest Crowd Noise Registered in CFB (Sept 92)

Some people may think this stuff is superficial but when you have a flailing brand, you need to reinvest in marketing and promotion. And today, most people are on their phones checking social media constantly. Need to build up twitter, IG and YouTube. If you don’t, and you arent a blue blood, your brand suffers.

They may think they are doing enough or using it enough but whatever it is, its not enough because they have to get the message out and repeat it every day.

In recent years….

Remember the cool posters we used to have?

Why not have one for the death row defense?

Where was the seniors poster in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019?

Where was one for John Ross & Dante Pettis when they set a record for receiving TDs by teammates? Could have used their cool sunglasses photo post 2016 apple cup.

Another thing that pissed me off was Pete wouldnt let the team be introduced as “defending Pac-12 champions” as they ran out of the tunnel.

Please add your thoughts and/or other examples to this thread…

Replies

All too true and something I was really hoping would change under JL. Why does it seem like the fans understand this but people within the program do not? Like this is someone(s) job in our AD and all they need to do is compare our marketing branding to any other big time program to see we are nowhere close to where we should be.

Am I the only ~2010+ UW grad here?

UW WANTS, NEEDS, to be Cal.

The higher ups look down on Oregon, and what Oregon wants to be.

Maybe they’d get their little puds hard if we could beat a 4 win Stanford team at the Farm? That’s about where the school spirit ends for them.

I’ll tell you guys. When I knew that UW marketing sucks major ass and the people of Seattle and Washington do too.

During Chris Peterson’s tenure I went to Seattle Twice and both times I was there for a week.

Both times I was the only person with a UW hat on and uw shirt. I did not see one other person with a UW anything on. WTF!

I went to the Target in downtown Seattle and they had Oregon apperal there. WTF!

I live in Socal. I can go anywhere in SoCal and I will see USC or UCLA being worn by someone.

Before Covid I would be at Disney Land at least twice a week and very rarely would I see a UW fan sporting gear. Hardly ever. But the MF Couge would never fail. I would see wsu gear all the time.

Why MF why!

Its true man, Im in Iraq right now, and when I wear Washington gear (Black and purple typically); I have had multiple other American soldiers and contractors come up to me and tell me that “those aren’t the Redskins colors”….what the fuck.

I can agree with most of what you said. They need to build a better brand and invest in a social media department. This all comes from the top. But, they have to have a product to show. UW hasn’t been the best team in the pac12 for the last 5-6 years, maybe 5-6 years ago. They haven’t won anything of note in recent years, no playoffs, no rose bowl victories, or any other big bowl wins. UW isn’t winning off the field either, being out recruited by “little brother” down south the last few years. You can’t brand 8-5 as the beat team in the pac12.

Best team in the PAC the last 5-6 years? 6 years ago was 2014, which was the season the zeroes went to the National Championship and Mariota won the Heisman.

During the 2015 season (5 years ago), we went 7-6 and had a losing conference record (4-5).

We won the PAC in 2016 (4 years ago) and got to the CFP. But then the next year (2017) couldn’t win the PAC in — meaning we weren’t the best team (3 years ago).

We did win the PAC again in 2018 (2 years ago), but dipped back to a losing conference record in 2019 (4-5).

Before 2016 and 2018 it had been roughly 15 years since we were even remotely relevant as a national player in CFB. I think to most people (recruits, talking heads, people down south, etc.) our two blips of recent success (2016 and 2018) appear to be the exception and not the rule.

So, in the last 5-6 years of time we’ve been the best team in the PAC 2 of those years.

The Zeroes, on the other hand, have sandwiched their success over the past decade. 2010 national championship game. 2011 they beat Russell Wilson’s Wisconsin team in the Rose Bowl. 2012 they beat #5 Kansas State in the Fiesta Bowl. 2013 beat Texas in the Alamo Bowl. 2014 went to the first ever CFP, blew-out defending champs Florida State in the Rose Bowl and went to the national championship. Mariota also won the heisman that year. Then the zeroes were average for a year before the wheels fell off with Helfrich.

Since Criscoballz took over the zeroes have been trending up, beating Michigan State in their bowl game in 2018 and beating Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl this past year. That’s on top of being PAC-12 champs and having a 12-win season.

When you look at the zeroes success the last decade, it’s not a surprise their marketing works. People all over the country look at them as a program that plays in big games. It’s why College gameday is there at least once a season.

At the end of the day, recruits want to play for the team that markets them best. Nobody cares about how beautiful Seattle is. Nobody cares about Amazon or Microsoft or the medical school at Montlake.

These dudes we recruit are ALPHAS. The are top dawgs. Big men on campus at their high schools. They are used to be fawned over and held up as demi-gods. They all believe they are going pro and the biggest of the high school big dawgs want to go to the schools that will provide them the most exposure. Full stop.

Never thought I’d agree with Anything Ballz says, but that was a good response. I do believe that to most people the success UW had under Peterson is the exception and not the rule. When it comes down to marketing and appealing to elite guys, on field results matter. UW doesn’t seem to be able to win the big games when it counts. Blue chip ratio, academic standings, or claimed national championships aren’t going to be as big of a factor as on field results. Like Ballz said, these guys want and need eyes on them. They need exposure. UW needs the on field results in order to recruit with “Little brother” down south.

The thing is uw has a great history and HAS played in big time games the last few years, including the playoffs and rose bowl. Not many other teams in college football can say they’ve done that yet no one outside of Washington knows this even happened because it is never recognized by washington (marketing) itself. Look at Oregon after winning the Pac-12 this year. They’ve been shoving that shit in everyone’s face in the pac 12 and showing the recruits why oregon is the premier place to play in the pac. Recruits notice this and we have multiple exammples this year if recruits choosing Oregon over washington because they “want a chance at winning a natty”. We failed to market ourselves and take advantage of this when we won the pac

You have to get in the dirt and at least fight the negative recruiting. Between the elitist perception of OKG and Tracy Ford/Gee Scott working to move kids out of state; you have got to fight that shit. Get hood JL. If you need some help with that, I feel like there are some brothas on this forum that would be willing to help you out. Not me, im melanin challenged.

Obviously there is only so much we can do as fans, unfortunately. I know they had a “fan committee” a few years back where random fans were selected to provide input on gameday experience, etc.. not sure if that’s still a thing or not anymore…

Criscoballz is a legit recruiter. Even if he lies he gets the players to sign on the line that is dotted. My friend coaches on a high profile high school in SoCal and he said that part of his selling technique is telling recruits to watch the ESPN documentaries the “U” 1 and 2 and tells them I am a champion I can make you a champion because I won with Saban and I recruited those great players. He also tells them I am not white I am a minority just like you. Now let’s go win. The closer is all the uniform combos too. So that is all selling and marketing and it will work.

I love UW football but UW does not love football.

Bowdowndubsup wrote:

The thing is uw has a great history and HAS played in big time games the last few years, including the playoffs and rose bowl. Not many other teams in college football can say they’ve done that yet no one outside of Washington knows this even happened because it is never recognized by washington (marketing) itself. Look at Oregon after winning the Pac-12 this year. They’ve been shoving that shit in everyone’s face in the pac 12 and showing the recruits why oregon is the premier place to play in the pac. Recruits notice this and we have multiple exammples this year if recruits choosing Oregon over washington because they “want a chance at winning a natty”. We failed to market ourselves and take advantage of this when we won the pac

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This!!

UWFANANAMA wrote:

I can agree with most of what you said. They need to build a better brand and invest in a social media department. This all comes from the top. But, they have to have a product to show. UW hasn’t been the best team in the pac12 for the last 5-6 years, maybe 5-6 years ago. They haven’t won anything of note in recent years, no playoffs, no rose bowl victories, or any other big bowl wins. UW isn’t winning off the field either, being out recruited by “little brother” down south the last few years. You can’t brand 8-5 as the beat team in the pac12.

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UW was out-recruiting Oregon until Pete left.

UW has been the best Pac-12 team over the past 5 years.

Chest wrote:

UWFANANAMA wrote:

I can agree with most of what you said. They need to build a better brand and invest in a social media department. This all comes from the top. But, they have to have a product to show. UW hasn’t been the best team in the pac12 for the last 5-6 years, maybe 5-6 years ago. They haven’t won anything of note in recent years, no playoffs, no rose bowl victories, or any other big bowl wins. UW isn’t winning off the field either, being out recruited by “little brother” down south the last few years. You can’t brand 8-5 as the beat team in the pac12.

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UW was out-recruiting Oregon until Pete left.

UW has been the best Pac-12 team over the past 5 years.

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Who’s rankings are you using to justify saying that? Your own personal opinion of each class or 247? According 247, 2013 was the last class to out rank Oregon.

UW has only won the pac12 2 years out of the last 5, as Ballz clearly stated. Not sure how you claim that’s the best team in the pac over the last 5 years.

Time to take the purple glasses off and be realistic.

UWFANANAMA wrote:

Chest wrote:

UWFANANAMA wrote:

I can agree with most of what you said. They need to build a better brand and invest in a social media department. This all comes from the top. But, they have to have a product to show. UW hasn’t been the best team in the pac12 for the last 5-6 years, maybe 5-6 years ago. They haven’t won anything of note in recent years, no playoffs, no rose bowl victories, or any other big bowl wins. UW isn’t winning off the field either, being out recruited by “little brother” down south the last few years. You can’t brand 8-5 as the beat team in the pac12.

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UW was out-recruiting Oregon until Pete left.

UW has been the best Pac-12 team over the past 5 years.

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Who’s rankings are you using to justify saying that? Your own personal opinion of each class or 247? According 247, 2013 was the last class to out rank Oregon.

UW has only won the pac12 2 years out of the last 5, as Ballz clearly stated. Not sure how you claim that’s the best team in the pac over the last 5 years.

Time to take the purple glasses off and be realistic.

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We have the best record out of anyone in the conference last 5 years.

We’ve been the best team in the league since 2013 adjusting for SOS & MOV.

We have the highest blue chip recruit ratio. (Oregon will next year). Oregon’s classes (until 2019) have been padded by numbers.

Only an 0regon fan would question facts.

Welp, maybe someone is listening (lol) because the Creative Director for UW Athletics is gone next month.

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Justthrowitinthebag wrote:

Welp, maybe someone is listening (lol) because the Creative Director for UW Athletics is gone next month.

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Pretty sure this is because of COVID related layoffs and not performance.

thapurplefunk wrote:

Justthrowitinthebag wrote:

Welp, maybe someone is listening (lol) because the Creative Director for UW Athletics is gone next month.

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Pretty sure this is because of COVID related layoffs and not performance.

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A boy can dream