Chatelain: Blackshirts are perfect way to jolt Nebraska's brand

[Landlord]

This is... a really weird "article".

I'm glad Chatelain is not in the marketing department of the AD. This sounds like something he should be discussing with an abnormally high-pitched voice with an intern by the coffee desk than typing up for print.

Why is this "article" so weird? You know, other than the general disdain for Chatelain.

He makes some excellent points regarding the Blackshirts and how we can sell that uniqueness to recruits and the rest of the college football world. We've downplayed it during the Pelini years when we should have been pushing it to the forefront, especially after 2009 and 2010.

And why is it an "article" and not an article? You know, other than the general disdain for Chatelain.

Truthfully, I don't have any personal disdain for Chatelain.

The reason it is an "article" and weird is because it's not actually news - I don't think I've ever seen anything published by a newspaper that amounted to someone's personal imagination of specific ways to brand our program. That's stuff you see on messageboards, not done by professionals in print. It's like writing an article of "Top 10 Songs I Think They Should Use For the Tunnel Walk - Complete with Youtube Videos". Just unusual and amateur.

As a side note - if we're going to pimp the blackshirt brand, I think it needs a rebrand. A skull and crossbones seems a bit too tacky to leave a respectable impression on anyone under the age of 20, if you ask me.

 

[Hoosker]

This is... a really weird "article".

I'm glad Chatelain is not in the marketing department of the AD. This sounds like something he should be discussing with an abnormally high-pitched voice with an intern by the coffee desk than typing up for print.

Why is this "article" so weird? You know, other than the general disdain for Chatelain.

He makes some excellent points regarding the Blackshirts and how we can sell that uniqueness to recruits and the rest of the college football world. We've downplayed it during the Pelini years when we should have been pushing it to the forefront, especially after 2009 and 2010.

And why is it an "article" and not an article? You know, other than the general disdain for Chatelain.

Truthfully, I don't have any personal disdain for Chatelain.

The reason it is an "article" and weird is because it's not actually news - I don't think I've ever seen anything published by a newspaper that amounted to someone's personal imagination of specific ways to brand our program. That's stuff you see on messageboards, not done by professionals in print. It's like writing an article of "Top 10 Songs I Think They Should Use For the Tunnel Walk - Complete with Youtube Videos". Just unusual and amateur.

As a side note - if we're going to pimp the blackshirt brand, I think it needs a rebrand. A skull and crossbones seems a bit too tacky to leave a respectable impression on anyone under the age of 20, if you ask me.

I think changing the logo would be extremely counterproductive to the overall goal mentioned in the """"""article""""""

 

[I am I]

I swear. 80% of the articles these guys come up with, we were talking about on here 2 months before. I specifically remember in a thread talking about bringing the Blackshirts mascot to life. Use it as a patch or something on the jersey or pants. Basically use the image in a modern way, maybe a more scary version. As others in that thread were pointing out as well, there is a way to blend new marketing seamlessly w old traditions.

These guys are hacks.

 

[Ulty]

I'm leery on creating any sort of hype campaign. Of course we all love the Blackshirts and want to see a dominating defense again, but even with their improvement over the last half of the season, it may be a bit much to ask of a unit that has not consistently performed to our lofty, nostalgic standards for a few years.

After the Red Out Around the World or whatever it was to hype up the Texas game in 2010 fell miserably flat, I'd rather avoid any big campaigns or slogans for a while.

But on the other hand, I'm excited to see the next crop of Blackshirts step up and realize their potential. Let's see them perform first, and then celebrate it.

 

[Creighton Duke]

I don't understand all the hate for this guy. Yeah, he is a friggin' dork and he has opinions that are often contrarion, but this is good stuff and this guy is a great writer. Yeah, it comes off as more of a laundry list, but he gets the idea out there. People are talking about. People are posting links to message boards about it. The ideas are being discussed.

If his intent is to spark conversation (as it is with all writers) he wins. If he actually cares about what he is saying here an wants to see it happen, hey, he is getting people thinking.

I would personally love to see these kinds of things taking place/being implemented, but in typical, stubborn administration fashion, they probably won't be. It won't be because they aren't good ideas; it will be out of spite and disdain that they hadn't thought of the ideas on their own.

 

[Saunders]

I'm not like the others.

Oh, believe me - we know you're not like the others.

 

[Number12]

I love the idea! And anyone hating on the article because it's from Chatelain just comes off as a dork. There are plenty of articles written by professionals that are like this haha. People with his job aren't only expected to report on facts, they are allowed to come up with ideas and opinions and write them. No big deal, and a lot of his ideas would bring a lot of positivity to the team.

 

[Enhance]

I think this is a pretty good idea. The only issue with it is if the defense doesn't play well, for whatever reason, this all becomes kind of a joke. The 12th man at A&M is a constant and is far more controllable than a defensive performance.

That said, I would like to see the university and Pelini embrace the blackshirts. It is a huge part of Husker history, and Pelini has made them almost irrelevant. Most seasons, he handed them out late. He also took them away last season after a bad performance. It's to the point where the only reference to blackshirts we get is on the jumbo tron or t-shirts in the crowd. That's not good enough. The Huskers don't have to be Top 10 in every defensive category or play a perfect season to call themselves the blackshirts, which is what it sometimes feels Pelini wants them to be.

 

[Saunders]

This is... a really weird "article".

I'm glad Chatelain is not in the marketing department of the AD. This sounds like something he should be discussing with an abnormally high-pitched voice with an intern by the coffee desk than typing up for print.

Why is this "article" so weird? You know, other than the general disdain for Chatelain.

He makes some excellent points regarding the Blackshirts and how we can sell that uniqueness to recruits and the rest of the college football world. We've downplayed it during the Pelini years when we should have been pushing it to the forefront, especially after 2009 and 2010.

And why is it an "article" and not an article? You know, other than the general disdain for Chatelain.

Truthfully, I don't have any personal disdain for Chatelain.

The reason it is an "article" and weird is because it's not actually news - I don't think I've ever seen anything published by a newspaper that amounted to someone's personal imagination of specific ways to brand our program. That's stuff you see on messageboards, not done by professionals in print. It's like writing an article of "Top 10 Songs I Think They Should Use For the Tunnel Walk - Complete with Youtube Videos". Just unusual and amateur.

As a side note - if we're going to pimp the blackshirt brand, I think it needs a rebrand. A skull and crossbones seems a bit too tacky to leave a respectable impression on anyone under the age of 20, if you ask me.

Pirates are a big deal right now.

 

[Enhance]

A skull and crossbones seems a bit too tacky to leave a respectable impression on anyone under the age of 20, if you ask me.

This wouldn't work unless you maintained the cross bone emblem in some way because of "Throw the Bones", which is almost equally engrained in the Blackshirt culture now. Plus, I disagree with you. Students/fans alike enjoy throwing the bones, and if you market it, people will pick it back up. Even the players throw the bones still. But, again, I think it's become such an afterthought that we don't see it as much anymore.

If Nebraska could re-embrace the Blackshirts, it'd be huge.

 

[Ulty]

Pirates are a big deal right now.

Well, perhaps we can get the cheerleaders as part of the campaign then.

 

[Landlord]

A skull and crossbones seems a bit too tacky to leave a respectable impression on anyone under the age of 20, if you ask me.

This wouldn't work unless you maintained the cross bone emblem in some way because of "Throw the Bones", which is almost equally engrained in the Blackshirt culture now. Plus, I disagree with you. Students/fans alike enjoy throwing the bones, and if you market it, people will pick it back up. Even the players throw the bones still. But, again, I think it's become such an afterthought that we don't see it as much anymore.

If Nebraska could re-embrace the Blackshirts, it'd be huge.

I agree re: throwing the bones, I don't agree re: skull and crossbones. I'm not calling for a totally new idea that scraps everything, but a rebranding that isn't antiquated to the early 90's. Trying to be as non-pretentious as possible, I just don't think any of us would see any product or idea outside of Nebraska, centered around a skull and crossbones, and be drawn in in any way.

 

[StPaulHusker]

Thanks to Bo's handling of this tradition, I could not care less about the color of the defense's jerseys.

 

[Saunders]

I agree re: throwing the bones, I don't agree re: skull and crossbones. I'm not calling for a totally new idea that scraps everything, but a rebranding that isn't antiquated to the early 90's. Trying to be as non-pretentious as possible, I just don't think any of us would see any product or idea outside of Nebraska, centered around a skull and crossbones, and be drawn in in any way.

It's a symbol for an ideal...

 

[GSG]

Maybe we should go more "Skeletor-esque"