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July 29, 2010

New Pac-10 Naming and Branding Set to Make Waves

newpac10logo.pngThe big news for sports fans this week is the redesign of the Pacific 10 Conference (Pac-10) logo, which I must say looks pretty good.

The logo was launched with appropriate fanfare in New York City on Tuesday by being projected on a raining wall of mist in the Whiskey Blue, a popular midtown Manhattan bar in the W Hotel.

Foregrounded in the logo is a mountain and a wave which, according to the press release, "symbolizes not only the Pac-10's geographic footprint but also its strength. Mountains can't be moved, except maybe by waves."

This looks pretty good and breathes new life into a very tired logo.

Of course, the logo will soon change when Colorado and Utah join the conference, making the Pac-10 the Pac-12.

This logo revamp and impending name change is part of an massive marketing campaign to bring the Pac-10 into the headspace of East Coast viewers, or, as one marketing professor put it, "It's a matter of being aggressive, or the alternative, being complacent."

Jon Wilner argues that the name change illustrates how little equity the Pac-10 name has. He feels that if it did have value, it would stay with the Pac-10 even if there were two new members in the conference a la the Big 10, which actually has 11 members.

Okay, point taken, but the new logo is still an improvement.

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Posted by William Lozito at July 29, 2010 8:43 AM
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