PTS Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20060...?tbd1052810.asp The article was fine until the last two paragraphs. Cimperman, who has helped market new logos for the Cleveland Cavaliers and others, said there often are inaccuracies in the leaking of early drafts of a team's logo. "Until the team officially presents the new identity, it is too early to tell," he said. "Let's not be surprised if what we see in the official announcement is different from what we've seen." That slug logo will be our logo. I know that for sure. At this point they couldn't pull the plan since the merchadise is already being printed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inkman Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20060...?tbd1052810.asp The article was fine until the last two paragraphs. That slug logo will be our logo. I know that for sure. At this point they couldn't pull the plan since the merchadise is already being printed. :angry: :angry: :angry: :angry: :angry: :angry: :angry: :angry: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PASabreFan Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 They CAN scrap it. Have a big bonfire. Start from scratch. Play in the goatheads for another year. But Tom Golisano, who steals those little packets of sugar from restaurants, probably won't eat the cost of doing all that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PTS Posted July 21, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 Listen to the Mike Gilbert (Sabres VP/Communications) interview on WBEN this morning. Pretty much stated we're aware of the petition and the response of the fans to the rumored logo but we have a plan and we're sticking with it. http://www.wben.com/news/fullstory.php?newsid=05420 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bmwolf21 Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 Yeah I wanted to reach into the computer and smack him for those arrogant comments. Pretty much sounded like he was giving a verbal "one-finger salute" to the fans and specifically fixthelogo.com. What I got from the interview was - "hey, we're changing to blue & gold, we have plan, and F-U if you don't like the new logo. We have a plan, and we're sticking to it." A$$hats. Every single one of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PASabreFan Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 PTS, I just listened to Mr. Sunshine. And it does sound ominous. I just wondered what about those last two paragraphs bothered you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icepux Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 I guess there is always the possibibility that there is something "missing". Maybe it is in a circle crest on the jersey. Maybe there are even swords beneath it on a jesery. Maybe they are "knocking out" or isolating the sluggalo to feature it on merchadise while omitting the "other parts." Either way, I still hate it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrader Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 PTS, last season when you made your little guarntee that they would start the year with new jerseys, you said that you saw a prototype for the new jersey (I forget if you said it here or on the other board). Was the logo on that thing anywhere close to this one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichFan Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 Why bother printing merchandise if it is going to have the slug on it? The stuff just isn't going to sell. It's bad enough that they come up with such a hideous design when thousands have made it clear they love the Celsius Design concepts. But if the slug is real and they arrogantly push forward with it, not only are people going to ignore the merchandise, they are going to get their friends and family to ignore it as well and mock those who they see wearing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PASabreFan Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 Of course, the Celsius design was just a version of the old logo. The Sabres didn't need him. They already owned the concept. For crying out loud, all the Sabres had to do was freshen up the colors, tweak the old logo a bit and put the goathead in blue and gold on the third jersey. Done. Easy. But easy, I guess, like holding a one-goal lead in the third period of Game 7 of the conference finals. Why does life have to be so hard? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wnyguy Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 I'm not so sure that it's false hope. I don't believe that anything with that logo has been printed in mass quantity yet. I guess we will have to keep our fingers crossed that they do the right thing and wait for the unveiling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vegas4BOC Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 Mike Gilbert is one of those Marketing guys that should be given the axe. After listening to his "explanation" of this so-called Master Plan, now I see why this proposed Yellow Buffalo logo came to be. He is clueless. To make the statement that teams such as the Detroit Red Wings have kept their tradition "because they have won Stanley Cup's" is ludicrous. Saying that the Sabres organization has had some hard times and thus the evolution towards changing the jersey's, etc leaves my jaw hanging. Detroit had some pretty crappy teams back in the 70's and 80's they never changed because "new jersey's will bring us a Cup". They knew the value of tradition. The Marketing people need to realize that when you propose and tease to the fans "we're going back to Blue and Gold" that this indicates back to our tradition. It would be well accepted to tweak the original logo and jersey striping pattern's, etc....but to totally redesign a "new" logo while keeping the Blue and Gold is a total slap in the face to citizens and fans of the Buffalo Sabres. :angry: FIRE MIKE GILBERT :angry: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corp000085 Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 They'll change their tune when there's an all out new logo boycott... PR can spin the logo any way it wants, but when the goathead makes $x million, the original blue and gold makes $y million, and the slug logo makes $zero, well they can't spin that anymore. Money talks my friends... You should already be planting the seed regarding buying a bunch of sabres merchandise that IS NOT the slug logo. They might be hamstrung in changing their tune for this year, but not for next year... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quickdraw Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 But Tom Golisano, who steals those little packets of sugar from restaurants, probably won't eat the cost of doing all that. LOL. Now THAT was funny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blugold43 Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 They'll change their tune when there's an all out new logo boycott... PR can spin the logo any way it wants, but when the goathead makes $x million, the original blue and gold makes $y million, and the slug logo makes $zero, well they can't spin that anymore. Money talks my friends... You should already be planting the seed regarding buying a bunch of sabres merchandise that IS NOT the slug logo. They might be hamstrung in changing their tune for this year, but not for next year... yes. boycott the slug. but don't be surprised when they replace it with something even worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Screamin'Weasel Posted July 22, 2006 Report Share Posted July 22, 2006 They'll change their tune when there's an all out new logo boycott... PR can spin the logo any way it wants, but when the goathead makes $x million, the original blue and gold makes $y million, and the slug logo makes $zero, well they can't spin that anymore. Money talks my friends... You should already be planting the seed regarding buying a bunch of sabres merchandise that IS NOT the slug logo. They might be hamstrung in changing their tune for this year, but not for next year... Sorry to be a downer here (I hate the slug as much as all of you) but this plan o' yours will not rid us of the slug, imo. They will continue to make money off sales of logo-bearing merchandise regardless of which logo it is. Goathead, original or slug, it doesn't matter. It all equals money in the pocket of the collective Sabres' organization. Let's say you have 100 sales of jerseys: 65 are original/vintage, 25 are goat heads and the last 10 are slugs (yes, there are a few people not unhappy with it and some kids will beg parents who have forgotten how to say "no" when the rugrat says, "I want that."). They will make the same amount of money as they would have if it was 100 slug sales and none of the other two. Now, add into this equation the cost of the uniform change. The cost of a design team for a new logo. The contracts already negotiated with manufacturers and retailers. Would the Sabres eat that cost if they are continuing to make money, regardless of which logo is generating the money? What they will most likely do is cram this logo down our throats. You will see players wearing the new shirts to charity functions, hospital visits for sick kids, golf tourneys, commercials, autograph sessions, etc. You will see billboards, signs, ads, photos, etc. The long term goal is to make you see it all the time and cave in. Slowly the sales will increase because fans see it isn't going away. The only way it will go the way of the Islanders' fisherman is the boycott of merchandise altogether and that is not going to happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taro T Posted July 22, 2006 Report Share Posted July 22, 2006 Sorry to be a downer here (I hate the slug as much as all of you) but this plan o' yours will not rid us of the slug, imo. They will continue to make money off sales of logo-bearing merchandise regardless of which logo it is. Goathead, original or slug, it doesn't matter. It all equals money in the pocket of the collective Sabres' organization. Let's say you have 100 sales of jerseys: 65 are original/vintage, 25 are goat heads and the last 10 are slugs (yes, there are a few people not unhappy with it and some kids will beg parents who have forgotten how to say "no" when the rugrat says, "I want that."). They will make the same amount of money as they would have if it was 100 slug sales and none of the other two. Now, add into this equation the cost of the uniform change. The cost of a design team for a new logo. The contracts already negotiated with manufacturers and retailers. Would the Sabres eat that cost if they are continuing to make money, regardless of which logo is generating the money? What they will most likely do is cram this logo down our throats. You will see players wearing the new shirts to charity functions, hospital visits for sick kids, golf tourneys, commercials, autograph sessions, etc. You will see billboards, signs, ads, photos, etc. The long term goal is to make you see it all the time and cave in. Slowly the sales will increase because fans see it isn't going away. The only way it will go the way of the Islanders' fisherman is the boycott of merchandise altogether and that is not going to happen. IF the number of people that are going to buy sweaters was set, then I would agree with your premise. However, I do not see the Sabres selling the same net total of sweaters and other merchandise that they will with the phantom ferret in the mix as they would if the design was something that the fan base was happier with. I definitely don't see huge numbers of people rushing out and buying stuff in September when it is 1st offered for sale. That is what they are looking for, the initial rush of "I've got to have this, and I've got to have this now". That is where they expect to recoup the design costs. I agree that they will try to convince people that the new design isn't so bad (heck, they'll hope to convince us that it is actually good). If it becomes obvious that the fan base won't go for it, I don't see them blindly sticking with it. Heck, the Sabres actually DID "cave in" to fan demand almost exactly 10 years ago on one small issue. When the Mmarena was 1st opened, the 300 level had metal bars in front of it, rather than the glass that is there now and was at the front of all the other sections. Fans began to complain because the bars blocked their view of the ice. The Sabres initially claimed the bars were there for safety reasons claiming the bars were safer than glass. People called bs when they heard it and within 2 weeks the Sabres announced that they would in fact replace the bars with glass. So, at least when Dougie was in charge, the team did listen to the fans on occasion. Maybe we'll get lucky and Larry will listen as well. The Sabres don't expect to (or didn't initially expect to) simply get back to even with merchandise sales. They expected sales to increase. They heard from the fans that the fans WANTED b&g to come back. They appear to currently sell a pretty significant portion of merchandise in the old b&g and the team hasn't worn the b&g (except for 1 game) in 10 years. I know I see a lot of b&g sweaters at the Mmarena, I'm sure Tom and Larry see the same thing and are expecting to increase sales with this change. If it ends up being a long term proposition to get merchandise sales back up to existing levels, then somebody will lose their job. The thing is, IF the Sabres handle this very adroitly, it may work out better in the long term than simply getting it done right the 1st time would have for 2 reasons. 1. The team will have a better chance to maintain a full share of revenue sharing because merchandise sales will only be able to go up in future seasons from where they will likely be this season. Whether that is due to people slowly accepting the phantom ferret or the team coming out with something better, it still helps the team's bottom line. (Note for BtP: no, I don't really believe the team did this on purpose. But, just because they didn't do it on purpose doesn't mean they can't make a banana split from a partially rotting banana.) 2. IF the team decides to respond favorably to fan suggestions and set up a fan based focus group (and publicise that they are doing so) and/or allow fans an opportunity to feel they are involved and their opinions are appreciated (whether or not they actually are), the team could engender a lot of good will. For the most part, this team's magical run built up a lot of good will with the fans. (People definitely seem to be enjoying the Sabres a lot more than they are the Bills currently.) Allowing the fans even a cursorary seat at the table and letting them feel that they DID in fact make a difference would only help to sustain and build upon that already generated good will. It never hurts to let the customer believe that you are trying to cater to what they want. The Sabres currently do a lot of community outreach activities. The fans seem to care passionately about this issue. It may in the end turn out to be another opportunity to "reach out" to the fans. 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