Now a day, academic institutions are appreciating the role of an effective athletic department in assisting students to achieve their dreams in sporting activities. However, with the increasing competition for sponsors, athletic department in United States institutions are increasingly recognizing the importance of branding their department due to the role it played in attracting the most stakeholders and creating university identity. Logo, mascot, and color theme are some of the most important elements for athletic department identity, and that of the institution; hence, it is important to ensure all the stakeholders are involved in the process of creating these elements. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to describe the process of the University of South Carolina–Beaufort (USC-B) Athletic Department logo and mascot, and the importance of having the two elements will have on the department. The paper will also describe some of the most important criteria used in making mascot design decision, and ways of introducing the logo to the athletes, the university, and the community.
Importance of Athletic Department Logo
A logo is a small design or a symbol used by organizations and institutions to identify a product, department, or even an activity. The logo is one of the most important of athletic branding programs. the reason athletic department logo is important is the fact that every great brand, will require brand loyalty, awareness, perceived quality, brand recognition, and brand equality, which is provided effectively by a logo. Also, athletic department logo has a potential of increasing brand association and according to Nufer, Bühler, & Jürgens (2017), the higher the brand recognition, the higher the brand association, thus high perceived value to the stakeholders. Lastly, an athletic department logo will play a significant role in enhancing the University of South Carolina – Beaufort (USC-B) where the institutions will be identified through the logo.
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The Value Athletic Department Logo Add To the Athletic Program and Impact on Potential Marketing Activities
Athletic department logo adds major value to the athletic program. The logo is the primary representation of the athletic brand, and it is used as the main identity device. A logo is instantly recognized, hence creating an opportunity to create equity in the brand. Also, a logo communicates the athletic program mission and objective, hence it makes it easy for every stakeholder to get associated with the program because of the logo (Kunkel, & King, 2014). The logo will also have a major impact on potential marketing activities. For example, the athletic department logo will be printed in different athletic program merchandise including t-shirts, bags, among others, helping the products thus increasing the products demand due to the aspect of identity provided by the logo, hence helping the program raise funds.
My Top Three Choices for USC-B Athletic Department Logo
Firstly, once the research is over, the logo design process should be done by students, through an open forum so that student’s ideas can be included in the process. Secondly, the logo must include the logo of my choice should be able to address gender and ethical issues, and able to communicate USC-B athletic department mission, vision, and goals. The last choice would be ensuring the logo corresponds to the university colors themes and fonts.
The Most Important Criteria USC-B Utilized In Its Mascot Decision
Some of the most important criteria utilized included deciding that the most important stakeholders in the mascot decision are the students. Also, the mascot was supposed to have a distinct relationship with the geographical location of the university including sea, local economies among others. Also, the character of the mascot was an important criterion where it would be friendly, dignified, mean, aggressive, and proud (Nagel & McGee, 2012). The last important criterion is ensuring the mascot is different from those of local colleges and high schools nearby.
Other Criteria’s that would Have Been Included
Other criteria would have included understanding what the major alumni want in the logo including the professional athletes, who were part of the university, recommendations by top mascot developers who are essential in the selection of colors and designs, and competitive market analysis.
Ways of Introducing the Logo to the Athletes, To the University, And To the Community
Once the logo is completed, the process of introducing the logo is essential because it determines how well the stakeholders will want to be associated with it. Therefore, the process of introducing the logo will start with having pictures of the new logo in different parts of the school, school website, and lastly, have it all around the athletic buildings. Then, the athletic department will print the logo in the uniforms of different sporting activities, and then broadcast the logo to other students and community including the Columbia, Hilton head and savannah communities. Also, during the official launch party, the University of South Carolina – Beaufort (USC-B) will be expected to print the logo to the VIP bags for the committee members, winners of special giveaways and students to get the logo in their items. Some of the giveaways which can be used to introduce the logo include t-shirts, bags, cups, and small notepads among others.
Reasons USC-B’s Senior Executives Invested So Much Time in an Athletics Branding Decision
The logo and the mascot are important elements in the success of the USC-B athletic department. For example, the alumni will need to relate to the logo and mascot for future donations, especially now where donations are important parts of the sports. Therefore, some of the reasons so much time was invested are: first, it is important to ensure adequate research and all steps are followed before coming up with the final decision. Also, investing so much time in an athletic branding decision ensures all the stakeholders are involved, and the logo is aligned with the department mission Kunkel, & King (2014). Secondly, the new logo is expected to become an important part of the university, especially in issues relating to press, hence the logo should be developed according to how you want the community to see the institutions.
How the New Image and the Extensive Press received In the Sports Pages Affect the University’s Visibility and Reputation
The University of South Carolina – Beaufort (USC-B) department logo is expected to be displayed in all the sporting activities especially in the press and other forms of media. Therefore, the new image and the extensive press will affect the university reputation and visibility through determining how likable the brand is to the outside community and the students. Whenever the university is participating in any sporting activity, it means that the logo will be displayed in different media hence; the message being conveyed by the logo will determine the visibility and reputation of the institution.
Conclusion
Looking at the University of South Carolina – Beaufort (USC-B) athletic department case, it is clear that a lot goes in the process of developing a logo and mascot. When developing these elements, it is important to consider stakeholders opinions, the firm to design the logo, the locations where the logo will be placed during introduction and other ways of getting the logo out there once it is completed. Additionally, the case has managed to demonstrate the importance of creating an effective brand and following the right steps during the design process. also, the case has proven that not every stakeholder who want the same components in the new image and mascot, hence making it necessary to ensure you please as many people as possible by the use of effective research tools.
References
Kunkel, T., Funk, D., & King, C. (2014). Developing a conceptual understanding of consumer-based league brand associations. Journal of Sports Management , 28 (1), 49-67.
Nagel, M. & McGee, L. (2012). Building an athletic brand: The University of South Carolina - Beaufort crafts a new image . Champaign: Human Kinetics.
Nufer, G., Bühler, A., & Jürgens, S. (2017). Brand identity management illustrated by Borussia Dortmund. Routledge Handbook of Football Marketing , 315.
USCB Athletics. (2017). Our story: UCSB 1959- . USCB Athletics. Retrieved from http://www.uscbathletics.com/documents/2010/8/3/uscb_athletics_history.pdf?tab=historyofuscbathletics
