Nike: Outfitters for the NFL and your Houston Texans

[majestrate]

Originally Posted by GP

I hope we never change. If you change, it means you are doing nothing more than diverting from a long-term strategy of building your brand identity.

30 years from now, the Texans logo and jersey design should still be the same and something people associate with the Texans when they see it. The Packers, the Cowboys, the Giants, and most recently the Jets (who have gone back to their old Jet logo) have all understood that you stick with a logo and a look...you farm it for all it's worth. Switching it up every five years (like the Seahawks do) affirms that they are more concerned with their image, trying to be relevant, when they should be concerned with winning instead.

An owner makes fans mad, too, when they have 12 different looking jerseys and are always having the fans buy the newest design. Seems cool when you're a young fan...as you get older, you realize you just want everything to look the same. I know I do, at least. The broad red collar is as funky as McNair wanted to get, obviously. He's not the poster child for radical change, either, so you'll be waiting a long time for a re-design of our stuff.

There's also the anticipation that we're going to start pulling in larger numbers of fans the more we succeed. So it would make more sense to have a great number of fans buy an old design, then go and redesign the look and sell the same types of merchandise twice in more than a few cases.

[GP]

The red collar kind of looks like in some countries when you get a prestigious medal and they have a ceremony and put the medal around your neck...it has a wide, red ribbon. LOL.

[nero THE zero]

Originally Posted by GP

I hope we never change. If you change, it means you are doing nothing more than diverting from a long-term strategy of building your brand identity.

30 years from now, the Texans logo and jersey design should still be the same and something people associate with the Texans when they see it. The Packers, the Cowboys, the Giants, and most recently the Jets (who have gone back to their old Jet logo) have all understood that you stick with a logo and a look...you farm it for all it's worth. Switching it up every five years (like the Seahawks do) affirms that they are more concerned with their image, trying to be relevant, when they should be concerned with winning instead.

An owner makes fans mad, too, when they have 12 different looking jerseys and are always having the fans buy the newest design. Seems cool when you're a young fan...as you get older, you realize you just want everything to look the same. I know I do, at least. The broad red collar is as funky as McNair wanted to get, obviously. He's not the poster child for radical change, either, so you'll be waiting a long time for a re-design of our stuff.

Winning and jersey scheme are totally independent of each other. It's fallacy to suggest that a jersey change has any effect, either way, on winning, whatsoever.

[GP]

Originally Posted by majestrate

There's also the anticipation that we're going to start pulling in larger numbers of fans the more we succeed. So it would make more sense to have a great number of fans buy an old design, then go and redesign the look and sell the same types of merchandise twice in more than a few cases.

Sure, it makes economic sense for a team to do this. I have no doubt this is why college teams are doing it--To generate extra revenue.

McNair is "old school" in the sense I do not see him ever tweaking the Texans look/style anytime soon. If ever.

He admires the Rooney family (Steelers), the Mara family (Giants), from what things he has said about them and how those two teams built legacies and fan bases...those two teams don't jack with their logo and their look/style. I would imagine he is paying close attention to those details.

McNair is not modern. He could give a rat's ass about our jersey and other items looking more trendy. If anything, he wants to build stability and longevity. Look no further than Gary Kubiak to support the theory. Everything McNair does is with the eye of long-term stability and longevity...re-designing the brand (the identity) is not a McNair thang. It messes with the paradigm.

[welsh texan]

Originally Posted by nero THE zero

Winning and jersey scheme are totally independent of each other. It's fallacy to suggest that a jersey change has any effect, either way, on winning, whatsoever.

Not too sure thats what GP was suggesting, think he meant relevance in terms of fashion and looking cool.

BTW, it has been shown that the colour of your teams' kit has an effect on their longterm success, with red being, by some distance, the best colour to wear to have a psychological edge on your opponent.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18344128

[GP]

Originally Posted by nero THE zero

Winning and jersey scheme are totally independent of each other. It's fallacy to suggest that a jersey change has any effect, either way, on winning, whatsoever.

Oh really? Wow.

So it's a fallacy to say that a guy like Daniel Snyder...who often tries to BUY success by BUYING great players who end up actually being cancers for the team...it's a fallacy to say that he's attracted to the wrong ways of trying to win? I see a connection. With the Cowboys, too, for that matter.

And when a team is always changing its look, in drastic ways such as the Seahawks going ultra radical with the lime green colors (like they did a few years ago) and now with what is a totally revamped look altogether, I can say with near certainty that there is a team who sucks at FOOTBALL decisions but somehow figures that looks mean more than anything else.

Your assertion that it's a fallacy is as radical as my assertion, btw. What in the blue blazes have the Seahawks done in their entire existence other than Hasselbeck saying "We want the ball, and we're going to win!" in overtime vs. the Packers??? Nothing. Hence the way they play fashion designer with the most sacred thing you could ever alter: YOUR TEAM'S BRAND. The IDENTITY of it. The look of it. There's a team, IMO, who has NO identity. Period.

[majestrate]

Originally Posted by GP

Sure, it makes economic sense for a team to do this. I have no doubt this is why college teams are doing it--To generate extra revenue.

McNair is "old school" in the sense I do not see him ever tweaking the Texans look/style anytime soon. If ever.

He admires the Rooney family (Steelers), the Mara family (Giants), from what things he has said about them and how those two teams built legacies and fan bases...those two teams don't jack with their logo and their look/style. I would imagine he is paying close attention to those details.

McNair is not modern. He could give a rat's ass about our jersey and other items looking more trendy. If anything, he wants to build stability and longevity. Look no further than Gary Kubiak to support the theory. Everything McNair does is with the eye of long-term stability and longevity...re-designing the brand (the identity) is not a McNair thang. It messes with the paradigm.

The Giants rarely redisgn their logo. But it's not like they never do. I can see the Texans getting a make-over within the next 10 years.

[GP]

Originally Posted by welsh texan

Not too sure thats what GP was suggesting, think he meant relevance in terms of fashion and looking cool.

BTW, it has been shown that the colour of your teams' kit has an effect on their longterm success, with red being, by some distance, the best colour to wear to have a psychological edge on your opponent.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18344128

Thanks, WT.

All I am saying is that an organization tips its hand, routinely, about what it (the organization) is "about" in terms of its inner workings--its culture--and how it interacts or operates with the general public.

It's simple. The Seahawks are not a traditional football team in the sense that they try to blend in and do business like the others do. Instead, they are mimicking college teams (Oregon, for example) because it's the trendy thing to do. This says "We have no original ideas, we don't care about stability, we're only in this thing for what we can do by the seat of our pants." They are reactionary and don't mind being led by what others are doing.

I'd actually be severely PISSED OFF if Bob McNair went ultra radical and changed the look of the team's log and its look/style. There will never be a perfect color scheme, a perfect logo, or a perfect look/style. So just roll with what you have and embrace it. The Packers have the ugliest colors and the dumbest looking "G" logo on their helmet. But by Gawd....they have a tradition with it and it's classic looking--You know full well that they are the Packers, and they aren't changing for anybody. Ever.

Same goes for the Giants. Steelers. Cowboys. The great teams know that this is a sacred thing and you build a following and a you build your team's legacy by remaining constant. Maybe you barely tweak it, but you never alter the brand in such a degree that you have to explain yourself to people every five years. At that point, you look like you're always in a state of disarray and always trying to re0invent yourself to the public. It's bad P.R. Really, really bad P.R. Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Tide, Hersheys, they all have stayed consistent and they rarely deviate from the standard look and colors. It's just Branding 101.

[GP]

Originally Posted by majestrate

The Giants rarely redisgn their logo. But it's not like they never do. I can see the Texans getting a make-over within the next 10 years.

Yes, but the changes are very, very subtle. That's the key.

If somebody wants us to go Oregon Ducks on our jerseys...with the way it looks like Tron or some such stuff like that...then they're getting their hopes up for no good reason. It won't ever happen.

The Lions subtly alter their logo, too. But like I said: It is subtle. You won't see the Lions going 3 shades darker with their blue, turning the gray into charcoal black, doing away with stripes and going with some swirly pattern, and then making the Lion some sort of futuristic version of a Lion with lasers on its head. I envision the Seahawks turning the Seahawk into some sort of mechanical war bird. It's the next step. LOL.

I think their area of the country is so progressive and artsy/creative that the fan base doesn't care. In fact, the fans probably love it. It's COOL! It's like the spring line of clothing that comes out onto the runway every year..."What are the Seahawks doing this year? Oh my! I love it! It's bold, it's lime, it's almost like an acid trip!"

[BattleRedRock]

I actually like the new uniforms considering the fact that they are customized to each individual on the team.. from what ive heard, Jacoby jones gloves and jersey are equipped with a sticky like adhesive so that he can catch the ball and not drop it. Matt schaubs new uniform is designed with a light metal alloy that is strong and durable so his shell like body can take a hit without getting hurt every five minutes.. so all in all, i think we're gonna be okay...

[welsh texan]

Originally Posted by GP

Thanks, WT.

All I am saying is that an organization tips its hand, routinely, about what it (the organization) is "about" in terms of its inner workings--its culture--and how it interacts or operates with the general public.

It's simple. The Seahawks are not a traditional football team in the sense that they try to blend in and do business like the others do. Instead, they are mimicking college teams (Oregon, for example) because it's the trendy thing to do. This says "We have no original ideas, we don't care about stability, we're only in this thing for what we can do by the seat of our pants." They are reactionary and don't mind being led by what others are doing.

I'd actually be severely PISSED OFF if Bob McNair went ultra radical and changed the look of the team's log and its look/style. There will never be a perfect color scheme, a perfect logo, or a perfect look/style. So just roll with what you have and embrace it. The Packers have the ugliest colors and the dumbest looking "G" logo on their helmet. But by Gawd....they have a tradition with it and it's classic looking--You know full well that they are the Packers, and they aren't changing for anybody. Ever.

Same goes for the Giants. Steelers. Cowboys. The great teams know that this is a sacred thing and you build a following and a you build your team's legacy by remaining constant. Maybe you barely tweak it, but you never alter the brand in such a degree that you have to explain yourself to people every five years. At that point, you look like you're always in a state of disarray and always trying to re0invent yourself to the public. It's bad P.R. Really, really bad P.R. Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Tide, Hersheys, they all have stayed consistent and they rarely deviate from the standard look and colors. It's just Branding 101.

In making a small mistake here, you've actually reinforced your point. Anyone remember 'new-coke'? Ok, I don't remember it because I'm a spring-chicken but some of the coffin dodgers around here who remember the 80's will. That was an epic fail for their brand that cost an absolute fortune to repair.

I also think this is a very cultural thing, and I'm totally down with it for my favourite NFL team, but in other cultures the idea of a new look every season is embraced by the fans, and doesn't detract from the overall identity of the team at all.

Then again, I think in soccer, because its generally accepted that the team will update every 2 years at most, there isn't the same desperation to go too far with it, just look at the Seahawks who won't be able to change again for 5 years or so, determined to make the most of it.

Funny thing is, I actually think the design of the Seahawks uni would look great in the Red White & Blue of the Texans' colour scheme, its that god awful lime green that makes it sickening.

[michaelm]

Originally Posted by nero THE zero

How utterly disappointing.

I don't know why people keep saying that they are disappointed. No Houston Texans uniform design was ever intended.
Just because Nike took over manufacturing, it doesn't mean they have the right to change team uniform designs. The teams make the decisions about their unis, and present it to the league for approval.

People think Nike can just make whatever designs they want, and that's what the teams wear, but that would be like UPS hiring a new company to manufacture their uniforms, and the new company sending them a bunch of purple short shorts.

[GP]

Originally Posted by welsh texan

In making a small mistake here, you've actually reinforced your point. Anyone remember 'new-coke'? Ok, I don't remember it because I'm a spring-chicken but some of the coffin dodgers around here who remember the 80's will. That was an epic fail for their brand that cost an absolute fortune to repair.

I also think this is a very cultural thing, and I'm totally down with it for my favourite NFL team, but in other cultures the idea of a new look every season is embraced by the fans, and doesn't detract from the overall identity of the team at all.

Then again, I think in soccer, because its generally accepted that the team will update every 2 years at most, there isn't the same desperation to go too far with it, just look at the Seahawks who won't be able to change again for 5 years or so, determined to make the most of it.

Funny thing is, I actually think the design of the Seahawks uni would look great in the Red White & Blue of the Texans' colour scheme, its that god awful lime green that makes it sickening.

New Coke was an anomaly, though. In fact, and I don't' know if this is urban legend or not, but New Coke was Coca-Cola's way of generating buzz for itself.

You replace a time-honored beverage with a "new" flavor and watch people clamor for "old" Coca-Cola. It was, if it was indeed geared this way, a great idea to make itself popular in a time when the soft drink industry might have been a little flat (pun intended). It was THE news story in its day, with fans basically promoting the Coca-Cola brand...and then eventually the execs giving into the fans' wishes. It was a way to show how popular Coke was in comparison to Pepsi who wasn't making any news during that same time.

The genius of that idea is that they have never attempted it again. To pull off a great idea like that, it has to be a once-in-a-lifetime deal. It wasn't even a gamble to have done it the first time. They had no intention os sticking with New Coke. It was a modern way of generating buzz. From that day forward, companies began to think more creatively about how to play on consumers' emotions. It was innovative, for sure, but it was perhaps THE only thing Coca-Cola has done that was avant-garde.

The Seahawks are showing that they are going to change their look as often as the NFL permits. They're a fashion team with a football department. When the biggest news item for your team is how Marshawn Lynch likes to eat Skittles after scoring a TD, I rest my case.

[GP]

Originally Posted by BattleRedRock

I actually like the new uniforms considering the fact that they are customized to each individual on the team.. from what ive heard, Jacoby jones gloves and jersey are equipped with a sticky like adhesive so that he can catch the ball and not drop it. Matt schaubs new uniform is designed with a light metal alloy that is strong and durable so his shell like body can take a hit without getting hurt every five minutes.. so all in all, i think we're gonna be okay...

It should be like a catcher's mitt.

Nike introduced the new Jacoby Jones wide receiver glove today:

[Naiirb]

Andre close up



Man that red collar is huge compared to this



Not sure im a fan of the collar just yet...

[GP]

Oy. That IS larger than it appeared in the photo(s) where AJ was farther away from the camera.

Am hoping the helmet (the large size of the helmet, and the dark blue colors) helps to bring the proportion of that red collar under control. Otherwise, it looks odd. I agree.

[nero THE zero]

Originally Posted by GP

Oh really? Wow.

So it's a fallacy to say that a guy like Daniel Snyder...who often tries to BUY success by BUYING great players who end up actually being cancers for the team...it's a fallacy to say that he's attracted to the wrong ways of trying to win? I see a connection. With the Cowboys, too, for that matter.

And when a team is always changing its look, in drastic ways such as the Seahawks going ultra radical with the lime green colors (like they did a few years ago) and now with what is a totally revamped look altogether, I can say with near certainty that there is a team who sucks at FOOTBALL decisions but somehow figures that looks mean more than anything else.

Your assertion that it's a fallacy is as radical as my assertion, btw. What in the blue blazes have the Seahawks done in their entire existence other than Hasselbeck saying "We want the ball, and we're going to win!" in overtime vs. the Packers??? Nothing. Hence the way they play fashion designer with the most sacred thing you could ever alter: YOUR TEAM'S BRAND. The IDENTITY of it. The look of it. There's a team, IMO, who has NO identity. Period.

The Cowboys and Redskins haven't changed their uniforms since 1967 and 1983 respectively. Not sure that bolsters your arguments much.

I understand that football fandom is chock full of traditionalists who shat their pants at any sign of change, and thusly understand the uphill battle my position is.

But, it's entirely baseless to suggest any correlation between uniform change and on-field results (the inverse would be a much stronger argument).

The Chargers, for instance, whose uniforms are a constant evolution, have won 96 games over the course of the past 10 years. The Packers, the paragon of the football traditionalist, have won 99.

It might be a common practice for a losing franchise (i.e. Bucs, Marlins) to change uniforms, but it's foolish to turns causation around and suggest that teams who change uniforms are doomed to fail.

Besides, how's keeping the uniform served the Lions (or Browns) over the past 20 years?

[Tailgate]

I wonder if everyone will be wearing those shoes?? They are KEY.

AJ pulled off battle red day better than anyone because of his shoes. It looked bad ass:





White shoes, not so much:

[Rey]

The big collar looks awesome to me. I like it more everytime I see it.

I think it's going to look sick on gameday when they are out on the field flying around...

[Goatcheese]

Originally Posted by Naiirb

Andre close up



Man that red collar is huge compared to this



Not sure im a fan of the collar just yet...

Without shoulder pads that neckline is going to dip down really low.

Ugh, the amount of chest hair we're going to see poking up out of that V-neck on Texans fans is going to be ugly. UGLY!