Crack Open The Safe

[Cajunrunner]

I will buy stuff with the original bulldog and shirts with stuff like the Hot Boudin chant on it.

By the way, Hot Boudin and Yeah Rouge should be sung at ALL games ALL the time.

We should play this every home game, and show the video on the big screen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILVrAk_OuX0

[RaisingCajun08]

I can’t believe people are really mad at this. Weird

Mad no, disappointed yes. We were finally getting to a point where people no longer calling us "USL" around town. Now this. We "USLed" ourselves again.

I think the Cajuns scrip merch is great. USL merch, not so much. USL died 23 years ago.

[jaxmc1023]

I can’t believe people are really mad at this. Weird

That's the problem when you never do any marketing...

When you finally put together a decent campaign, people assume it must be something huge

[Cajunrunner]

Turbine, I know you do this whole thing where "UL-Lafayette" or "Louisiana-Lafayette" gets changed to "Louisiana" on this message board, but the whole point of the post was to point out what is on our own university website.

Changing the title, that I copied and pasted, from the Louisiana.edu website, defeats that purpose.

[ManAboutTown]

That's the problem when you never do any marketing...

When you finally put together a decent campaign, people assume it must be something huge

Exactly.

And when you starve your fanbase, this is what you get for normal ____.

[Turbine]

Turbine, I know you do this whole thing where "UL-Lafayette" or "Louisiana-Lafayette" gets changed to "Louisiana" on this message board, but the whole point of the post was to point out what is on our own university website.

Changing the title, that I copied and pasted, from the Louisiana.edu website, defeats that purpose.

Is academics launching this or athletics?

Historically, money from athletic branding has not gone back into athletics.

[JMV JustMyView]

I can’t believe people are really mad at this. Weird

Seems this is like taking 1 step forward and 2 steps back. They had to mention USL and SLI? Just My View.

[RaginScotsman]

Trying to look at it like this. Many other universities have this. Our name game is won at least with the conference and the major networks that show our name on the ticker. Louisiana across the fields we play on.

. . . Then we have the name that comes up in general conversation with people that are stuck in the past or are jerks. No, this does not help with that.

…but, get some money, get people wearing anything Cajuns out there and have fun embracing the past.

I’m buying some and my UL gear budget is over the balance this year. Doing it anyway.

[CouillonCinema]

I wanted to share my twitter thoughts with you guys.

First off, there was speculation that this announcement could be the return of Cayenne. Which, as the Albineaux guy, I would have been ok with. I’m a something is better than nothing kinda guy if there is commitment to that something.

I would disagree with the product but products can be improved to a point. But that was not the announcement. What we got was something that feels…out of order.

They framed this as a “we listened to you” decision and that is kinda true. Vintage is very hot right now. But I would have liked to see the uni address the elephant in the room before creating more confusion with branding. Add on what’s really hot rn is vintage “style” clothing and authentic aged vintage. This kind of lives in between those categories.

Homefield Apparel is the biggest example of the first category. Look at their mission statement. They study to create something NEW that looks vintage. That’s what makes it cool. Vintage Louisiana is taking old existing images and reprinting them. That’s why I see as an in between.

I don’t hate the announcement. I mean it’s homecoming. It’s our 125th anniversary. This will hopefully make a lot of the fans that went to USL very happy. But us younger fans are still craving something that signifies where we’re going in the next 125 years.

In my next Albineaux pitch, I have a whole page dedicated to new age vintage. I recognize how important it is. That’s why Al has a sailor hat in the shape of the Cajun Dome. I applaud UL for picking up on this market! It’s bit late to the game but they got to it!

So much of the school’s branding in the past year has been marketed towards trying to appease a certain generation of Cajuns fans. We can look at the crowds at the games, and see they’re losing fans on all fronts. Their generation was the golden era of fans so they want to hold on to them. They brought back the script Cajuns. There is more of a regional focus than a state focus in branding; ex: 337 on the helmets, and the Our Town. Our Team. Campaign.

They’re using an old script to see if it will work again. I think the game day crowd at HC will be a good test of that script. If we can’t break 20k on our nationally televised HC against a good SBC opponent then my observation is correct, and the university isn’t doing enough to create new and engage all Ragin Cajuns fans. Or less so not “enough” but they just don’t know how.

Closing thoughts on: I’m never rooting against anything UL does. I hope every initiative works with flying colors. But branding isn’t what has created empty seats, a lack of engagement has. And I hope that gets addressed soon!

[facelessjonmoon]

Mad no, disappointed yes. We were finally getting to a point where people no longer calling us "USL" around town. Now this. We "USLed" ourselves again.

I think the Cajuns scrip merch is great. USL merch, not so much. USL died 23 years ago.

I agree. It's confusing

Same as "our town- our team"
But call us Louisiana

[ZoomZoom]

I can’t believe people are really mad at this. Weird

Not mad. Disappointed, somewhat. I like the script Cajuns.

Disgusted, darn right… to PURPOSEFULLY take a step back in the never ending name fight is a bonehead, dumb #%^##% move. But hey, it was REALLY USLing it.

[JMV JustMyView]

I wanted to share my twitter thoughts with you guys.

First off, there was speculation that this announcement could be the return of Cayenne. Which, as the Albineaux guy, I would have been ok with. I’m a something is better than nothing kinda guy if there is commitment to that something.

I would disagree with the product but products can be improved to a point. But that was not the announcement. What we got was something that feels…out of order.

They framed this as a “we listened to you” decision and that is kinda true. Vintage is very hot right now. But I would have liked to see the uni address the elephant in the room before creating more confusion with branding. Add on what’s really hot rn is vintage “style” clothing and authentic aged vintage. This kind of lives in between those categories.

Homefield Apparel is the biggest example of the first category. Look at their mission statement. They study to create something NEW that looks vintage. That’s what makes it cool. Vintage Louisiana is taking old existing images and reprinting them. That’s why I see as an in between.

I don’t hate the announcement. I mean it’s homecoming. It’s our 125th anniversary. This will hopefully make a lot of the fans that went to USL very happy. But us younger fans are still craving something that signifies where we’re going in the next 125 years.

In my next Albineaux pitch, I have a whole page dedicated to new age vintage. I recognize how important it is. That’s why Al has a sailor hat in the shape of the Cajun Dome. I applaud UL for picking up on this market! It’s bit late to the game but they got to it!

So much of the school’s branding in the past year has been marketed towards trying to appease a certain generation of Cajuns fans. We can look at the crowds at the games, and see they’re losing fans on all fronts. Their generation was the golden era of fans so they want to hold on to them. They brought back the script Cajuns. There is more of a regional focus than a state focus in branding; ex: 337 on the helmets, and the Our Town. Our Team. Campaign.

They’re using an old script to see if it will work again. I think the game day crowd at HC will be a good test of that script. If we can’t break 20k on our nationally televised HC against a good SBC opponent then my observation is correct, and the university isn’t doing enough to create new and engage all Ragin Cajuns fans. Or less so not “enough” but they just don’t know how.

Closing thoughts on: I’m never rooting against anything UL does. I hope every initiative works with flying colors. But branding isn’t what has created empty seats, a lack of engagement has. And I hope that gets addressed soon!

Excellent post