Bradley branding and mascot

[Da Coach]

I think the University, while "winning" the right to keep the name Braves- still feels an NCAA cloud hanging over them. SO since we have a new branding- why not a new nickname?

That is my take on it...

Nice job on the logo (in your avatar). Looks a little menacing though.

[Gary the Gargoyle]

For the record- Marquette did see a backlash when their name change was imposed, and many of their alumni and supporters still hold their grudges. There were alumni who claimed they would stop or cut back their donations. We'll never know how much, if any, that might have happened, since Marquette is a private institution, and does not report such things publically. But I know a couple Marquette alumni who refuse to donate because of this. It has probably cost them millions.

Here is more evidence the name change did hurt them, and may still be hurting them. Ten years after the change, a high ranking member of the board of trustees of Marquette University (the vice chairman) spoke at their graduation ceremony, and he promised that he and another member of the board of trustees would each donate $1 million apiece if Marquette would change back to the Warriors.

http://www.thebatt.com/2.8485/marquette-offered-2-million-to-change-name-back-to-warriors-1.1205164

Here is another article reporting that some prominent alumni still refuse to donate because of the name change.

http://thewarrior.org/2010/11/10/jump-around/

Students still chant Warriors at their games, and unauthorized and unofficial Marquette Warriors t-shirts and apparel are still widely available and are big sellers (though the university gets nothing from this).

So after 18 years, there is still animosity and lost revenue because of Marquette's name change, and similar things have happened at St. Johns, and other schools. Can Bradley afford this kind of backlash, and long lasting animosity?

I meant as it relates to their product on the playing field (or in this case court). It doesn't seem that their recruiting budget, ability to pay coaches high salaries, or the interest from student athletes has been greatly harmed. I've never once read where a kid wouldn't go to Marquette unless they changed their name back to Warriors.

Let's be honest, boosters are fickle. There are people here who would threaten to lessen their contribution to the university if the civic center changed from Coke to Pepsi.

[SFP]

Those Gargoyles are fantastic on Bradley Hall. I've seen them fly after a good night spent on Fredonia.

[BUBraves2006]

Aside from one post I read to the contrary, can we all agree that some kind of mascot is greatly needed for marketing/branding/kid appeal/etc.?

I understand the debate about Braves and all other options, but I feel way more strongly about not having a mascot before and the need for one now.

I mean, I go to stores up here in Chicago that have regional team's merchandise and all our stuff ever has is BRADLEY or it's not there at all. Hate on them as much as you want as rivals, but SIU and ISU at least have pretty good, marketable logos to sell stuff.

Since things are in such a lull right now and we're trying to build things back up, isn't this the perfect time to drive back fans?

I've said this many times on the board but I'll bring it up again. As much as the local stalwarts have their opinions and make them very loud and clear on here, a huge segment of the student population (and the state, for that matter) is near the Chicago area. I find it really sad that Bradley doesn't try to have a larger marketing presence here, where there are ample opportunities to grow your brand.

And trust me, alums like myself still have as much pride as the locals in Peoria do. I still regularly see a Bradley shirt or sweatshirt up here and it generally starts some kind of conversation. But, that's often alum-to-alum. You need to start pulling in new people because eventually all the stubborn old fans will be gone. There has to be a way to bridge the gap and keep most people happy, right?

[Future Walk-On]

everyone "google"

"defnition braves"


braves, 3rd person singular present, plural of brave
Noun:
People who are ready to face and endure danger or pain.

[Future Walk-On]

http://www.scrabblefinder.com/word/braves/

[BUFanatic]

everyone "google"

"defnition braves"


braves, 3rd person singular present, plural of brave
Noun:
People who are ready to face and endure danger or pain.

You should drop an e-mail to some of the higher ups at BU with this

[tornado]

Here's a guy who is a sports columnist in Rockford and BU ALUM - who writes about the process of picking a new mascot......

"Bradley Braves could be the Eagles, Gargoyles or Lions"

http://rockrivertimes.com/2012/10/17/college-sports-bradley-braves-could-be-the-eagles-gargoyles-or-lions/

"I really think this comes down to money. I believe someone with a marketing
degree has persuaded the athletic department they should be more
interested in counting the dollars that aren’t coming in than they should be in
preserving the history of the university.

All the myopic misguided marketing gurus see are the missed opportunities in
the sale of hats, shirts, jackets, gloves, stuffed animals, slippers, etc., with
the mascot emblazoned all over them. To me, that is sad.

I sent my survey back saying “keep the nickname Braves and forget the
mascot.”"

[Gary the Gargoyle]

everyone "google"

"defnition braves"


braves, 3rd person singular present, plural of brave
Noun:
People who are ready to face and endure danger or pain.

Clearly, Bradley fans have been "Braves" for the past 2 seasons.

[Biff]

OK, I filled out my survery, and I hope they are listening. I am also afraid they have already made up their minds about this. But the name- "The Bradley Brave" sounds silly and ridiculous. Bradley will be the butt of jokes and ridicule. They will see many long time fans and supporters like me stop supporting this regime. They have already damaged or destroyed Bradley athletics to the extent it may never recover. Nearly every program has a losing record, and any that don't are constantly rebuilding and firing coaches (except soccer). I just got an email bragging about finishing tied for 12th place in a 14 team golf tournament. How do so many no-name schools constantly do better and finish ahead of us? I have lost all respect for those in charge- they are doing a terrible job.

[Gary the Gargoyle]

OK, I filled out my survery, and I hope they are listening. I am also afraid they have already made up their minds about this. But the name- "The Bradley Brave" sounds silly and ridiculous. Bradley will be the butt of jokes and ridicule. They will see many long time fans and supporters like me stop supporting this regime. They have already damaged or destroyed Bradley athletics to the extent it may never recover. Nearly every program has a losing record, and any that don't are constantly rebuilding and firing coaches (except soccer). I just got an email bragging about finishing tied for 12th place in a 14 team golf tournament. How do so many no-name schools constantly do better and finish ahead of us? I have lost all respect for those in charge- they are doing a terrible job.

I too wonder how they evaluate the surveys. Does my pro-Bradley Brave/ Gargoyle mascot survey cancel out yours?

[BuAlum03]

I keep hearing we "won" vs the NCAA... but is it really winning if you have to drop all imagery that gives your nickname significance, and end up with a stylized wordmark as the identity of the University athletic program?

If that's winning, I hate to think about what would have happened if we lost.

As for a change, I am the type of person who will gladly sacrifice current discomfort in exchange for a brighter future. Change is always hard, but 50 years from now we can find ourselves still fretting and ringing our hands over our beloved image-less "braves" name.

I'll get over it if they change things.

[Da Coach]

I keep hearing we "won" vs the NCAA... but is it really winning if you have to drop all imagery that gives your nickname significance, and end up with a stylized wordmark as the identity of the University athletic program?

If that's winning, I hate to think about what would have happened if we lost.

As for a change, I am the type of person who will gladly sacrifice current discomfort in exchange for a brighter future. Change is always hard, but 50 years from now we can find ourselves still fretting and ringing our hands over our beloved image-less "braves" name.

I'll get over it if they change things.

You don't have to think too hard about what it would be like of we lost- we would have already changed to the Bradley Squirrels a long time ago.
We won because the NCAA clearly backed down, and allowed us to keep the name that tens of thousands of alumni have always known Bradley by- the Braves. Other schools were not so fortunate, and were forced to change their names. We can debate the future effects, but everyone is entitled to an opinion about it.

[Future Walk-On]

sent to glasser, bobby P, G ford, Dave Snell, and Michael Cross

Its possible you are aware of this... (but the video seem to make me think otherwise)

Upon "googling" the following "braves definition," only ONE definition for a noun appears....which is:

1. "Braves - People who are ready to face and endure danger or pain."

Searching a popular dictionary site reveals 2 definitions for the noun "Braves" one of them is below...

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/braves%27

2. "noun 4. a brave person."

I believe that we can keep the nickname "braves" as it clearly has another meaning than "Native American male"


Kyle [Last Name]

BU '12

[Da Coach]

sent to glasser, bobby P, G ford, Dave Snell, and Michael Cross

Good work. But, I think they may already know that, FWO. That argument was, in fact, a key point of the argument made by Ken Kavanagh and the Bradley legal team when they fought the NCAA. And I believe it was an important reason why the NCAA eventually relented in their witch hunt, and allowed Bradley to retain the Braves name.