Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Branding a Sports Powerhouse (Strategy)


Listen to our featured Those Branding Guys radio show podcast: Craig Pintens and the University of Oregon Brand

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™. On our radio show Ask Those Branding Guys, we discussed the meteoric rise of a national sports team brand.

Joining us on air was Craig Pintens, Senior Associate Athletic Director / Marketing and Public Relations for the University of Oregon. We discussed with Craig the rise in stature of the Oregon sports team brand along with tactics employed to maintain the brand at its current level.


Oregon football has grown tremendously since 1996 when a small group of donors, including Phil Knight from Nike, got together and offered their resources to make the program better. The organization focused on improving the student athlete experience which has become the cornerstone of the program.

A rebranding was undertaken in 2001 when the iconic “O” was launched along with the promotion of an outstanding player across the country.  The “O” has been used consistently making it a strong mark.

The Oregon Ducks played their traditional Spring football game this past weekend.  The game is a fundraiser for a local area food bank and is also known for a traditional tribute to the military branded as Salute the Day. The game has evolved into a brand of its own.

Oregon athletics has had much success in football and other sports.  Eugene is known as Track Town USA and is home to great track runners as well as the Olympic trials in the sport.  Some of the innovative actions Oregon has taken to generate excitement around the brand include creative uniform design; an active mascot, The Duck; the “Win the Day” slogan and fantastic facilities.

Pintens shared that, with so many student athletes from families where their parents are alumni from numerous other universities, Oregon athletics employs a unique tactic.  The Ducks strive to become at least the second favorite college team for everyone in the USA...and its working.

Enjoy the show.

Once a Day Marketing™ positions brands to become #1 in the minds of target customers. Visit our website at www.onceadaymarketing.com. Contact James Glover at (505) 501-1330 or email glover@onceadaymarketing.com. Listen to Ask Those Branding Guys™ every Monday at 11:00am (MDT) streaming live on SantaFe.com KVSF 101.5 FM.

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