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Wade says they won’t let him wear the ‘Slobbering Wolf’ logo & they’re mad about Retro Jerseys…but this isn’t an isolated incident for NC State branding

Published

5 months ago

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Oh my goodness.

If you want to fire up this fanbase, then this is how you do it.

On the Will Wade radio show he explained that he’s been wanting to use more retro marks, such as the ‘Slobbering Wolf’ and the throwback jerseys, but the University is fighting against it.

Here’s some of the back and forth…

Matt Chazanow: “Coach, how much of a say do you have when it comes to wearing 1983 throwback ‘STATE’ uniforms?”

Will Wade: I don’t have much of a say. I mean, I like them. We should wear them. We’ve played well in them both times we’ve worn them. I think it connects us to our past, connects us to our history. I like the slobbering wolf. I actually want to wear the slobbering Wolf, but they won’t let me wear that on my jacket. I mean, look, it’s a bureaucracy like anything. So there’s so much red tape, there’s so much stuff you’ve got to go through. But I like the uniforms. Hopefully, we can bust them out maybe one more time this year. So I’m one of those guys. This probably doesn’t surprise you.  I like to ask for forgiveness, not permission. We got a scathing email from the University after our first game. They were not happy. I don’t think they quite knew we were wearing the “State” ones. I ran it by some of the higher-ups in the athletics department. I don’t know if it made it further than that.

 

This confirms what most Wolfpack fans have believed for a while.

NC State has the potential to have one of the strongest brands in the NCAA, but it feels like they can’t get out of their own way.

There are schools (and brands in general) that would die for a rich history that continues to be celebrated by fans even in the modern era. Heck, you have marketing teams working overtime trying to find ways tie in historic elements to modern brands looking for an edge.

Why?

Well, it’s simple. Today’s marketplace is flooded with messaging of new products, new features, and flashy new ideas.

The problem is, these things are almost always oversold, overhyped, and over-marketed. It’s gotten to the point where people are sick of it. They are sick of hearing about the next new thing, only to have the next new thing turn out to work worse than the previous thing they tried to upgrade.

So how do you cut through that noise?

In today’s market, nostalgia and authenticity are gold.

If you are forced to sell a new product, but you’re able to package it with ‘the feel goods’ and simplicity of the old days, and do so while not having to bend the truth or stretch a story…then you almost ALWAYS have a winning campaign.

NC State is in a unique position with its brand. They have a relevant new product that they can attach to a feeling, and a set of moments that represent some of the best times of their older fans’ lives. They can authentically tap into that nostalgia without hiccup.

But they rarely do. Instead, it’s new fonts, new logos, hard metal or matte textures that they’re probably being told is ‘cool’ with the young kids and ‘all the rage’ in sports. And I bet they have ‘studies’ to prove it.

Meanwhile, their fans are SCREAMING at the top of their lungs that they’re wrong. They don’t want to be Oregon, with flashy modern jerseys and the giant painted courts. It’s so tired. It’s so desperate. And while NC State hasn’t gone that far yet, they are trying to please everyone and pleasing nobody. Trapped in the middle of trying to cater to the fans who want the old brand, and probably all the consultants and ‘branding experts’ who promise them they know what’s best for the fanbase.

This isn’t an issue for just NC State. It’s an issue for brands everywhere. They’ve lost the plot. Instead of serving their clients (fanbase) they’ve been captured by ‘experts’ who went to school, read a book and now are exist to help you ‘steer the brand into the future.’

If you want to know why I’m so bent out of shape about this, go read what I wrote a few years ago, when instead of helping a former student launch a brand around non-trademarked NC State-lure , they threatned to cease and desist them, ending the company…only to sign a deal with Homefield Apparel, years later, a company with the same idea, started by Indiana alumni with the exact same business model.

The point is, this isn’t an isolated incident, and now that Will Wade has pointed a spotlight onto it, maybe finally they’ll have the motivation to right some wrongs and take this brand where it belongs…among the strongest in college sports.

And for those that need to see that we aren’t overstating the outcry…

Just take a minute and browse social media.

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