Perhaps the logo isn’t as prevalent in Oregon Ducks fans’ minds as the Win The Day shield, but one day it could get there.
Inside of a four-pointed shield (similar in shape to the NFL logo) is a basketball and, above it, a single star. The basketball is flanked by a pair of wings, spread to their fullest extent. Above the shield is the Oregon O; below it is “Oregon” in ubiquitous Bellotti bold font.
Where will you find this logo? First, check the Pit Crew — several members have been sporting it on lapel pins, an additional accessory to school pride. Then, ask a member of the Oregon women’s basketball team — she will be happy to talk to you about it.
“It’s our own logo,” point guard Ariel Thomas said last week. “It’s our brand.”
Thomas, a freshman point guard from Sacramento, was recruited by Paul Westhead and the Oregon coaching staff to play for the Ducks. She, like the rest of the team, has bought into the fast-break system and believes in the need for speed.
Hence, the new logo, conjured up by Oregon’s ever-vigilant marketing department. And the lapel pins, which draw to mind some high honor won by a pilot in the line of duty.
The Ducks have followed through with the brand messaging thanks to posters and images that turn Oregon players into “Top Gun” cast members. The athletic department has created two posters, splitting the team in half. Each player is wearing a flight suit, goggles and a yellow Oregon shirt, holding a basketball and looking intimidating.
“It’s pretty creative. It was just like, wow, like we’re doing a modeling shoot,” Thomas said. “When we saw the (flight suits), we thought, oh, those would just be cool to wear. Then we’re like, for sure? We’re actually wearing them?”
For sure. And not just in the posters, but on the trading cards handed out to the 12,320 people on hand to witness the first women’s basketball game — and first Civil War game — at Matthew Knight Arena on Sunday. To top it all off, every player was given a nickname, a personal identifier in line with the pilot theme. Some of them are creative and easily understandable, such as “Frisco” for San Francisco native Nicole Canepa and “Amor” for freshman forward Danielle Love. Some of them make you scratch your head — Amanda “Bangarang” Johnson?
These brave pilots of the airship Fast-Break Offense are constantly on the lookout for new members to join their ranks. Hence, the lapel pins. If you see one of the Ducks out on the street, you can ask them about the pins. If you are “deemed worthy” by the team or coaching staff member in question, you will receive one.
(Full disclosure: This reporter has asked for one because he thought it was a neat idea. To remove any conflicts of interest, the pin will be given to his mother, who enjoys that sort of thing. She will add it to the BCS national title game pin this reporter recently gave her, among others.)
Non-revenue sports have a hard-enough time as it is drawing attention. Two-dollar general admission tickets and the largest crowd at a Pacific-10 Conference women’s basketball game ever is a nice start, but it might not benefit the Ducks in the long term.
Thus explaining the brilliance of a full-scale branding effort, with a marketing campaign to go with it. Oregon has a definite identity with Westhead’s system, much like the football team does with Chip Kelly. It is only natural, then, to support it in the team’s marketing efforts.
Additionally, this may help influence recruits’ opinions of the basketball program, and the University. The most difficult question to be asked of a person or a program may be, “What are you about?” Kelly can point to his Win The Day mantra. Westhead can point to his quest for pure speed — and the lessons to be learned along the way.
Oregon is lucky to have the resources available to support an endeavor such as this, but only good can come from the athletic department’s efforts to craft an identity for its women’s basketball program in the short term. All of college sports are not created equal, so rare is the day when a marketing campaign can be genuine while standing out in the landscape.
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Husseman: Women’s basketball getting the “Oregon” treatment
Daily Emerald
January 23, 2011
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