(Renamed) Official new logo and uniforms

[CF DolFan]

If "New Coke" can get canned after that marketing campaign then I'd think anything is pretty much vulnerable.

[Dave Gray]

There are enough people who will still buy it.  Perhaps it will flop.  I just don't see it.

I keep bringing this stat up:
EVERYONE hated the Marlins' new logo when it came out.  EVERYONE.  But, that year they had the 2nd best-selling MLB hat to the Yankees.  Why is that? 

Apples and oranges comparison.  First off, I don't think everyone hated it.  I think that there's an entire hispanic/urban community that embraced it.  But, the Marlins have no history or identity.  So, there's no visceral attachment to that logo that people have passed down. 

And also, the Marlins weren't considered a joke of an organization.  They made this change during a period of perceived positivity, where they had (on paper) an exciting team, a new stadium launching, a minor relocation, and they branded their things accordingly -- their brand intended to move away from being the Dolphins little brother into their own thing.

The Dolphins, on the other hand, have been a joke of a franchise for a decade and we were shitty again last year.  The team has already struggled with trying to replace history with other things, like the orange carpet, the club, celebrity owners, new fight song -- all of that fell splat like a turd and as recently as this year have reverted back to traditions, saying "we get it...we heard you".  So, now this logo flies in the face of that message.  In addition, Ireland has a bad reputation and people don't like Steven Ross. 

A year from now, we'll see how merchandise sales go.  The most die hard fans, the same ones posting daily on a football message board in April and May, are the ones that probably won't buy anything.  They also represent about 20-25% of the population.  And based on the poll, only roughly half of the die-hards won't buy it.  We'll see...

I agree with you that we'll just have to see how it goes, but I don't think it's some futile thing that we're stuck with, regardless of the reception.

[Brian Fein]

^^ Disagree with your statement that the Marlins aren't a joke.  Nationally, the Marlins have been a joke for 10 years.  Attendance regularly in the hundreds, the home run sculpture, the owner and his clown posse, Ozzie Guillen, etc.  Yes, it was part of a massive rebranding and transition for the team.  I think that's what the Dolphins are trying to force here.

They have cap money and a lot of draft picks.  They're drawing the line and saying "that's it, we're done sucking NOW."  They're trying to re-birth the team into something new and great.  The Dolphins have only been a joke to Dolphins' fans, because they aren't satisfied.  The Club Liv, Orange Carpet bullshit was just stop gap peripheral trash fodder to try to help sell tickets to rich people.  If you ask a guy in Kansas City, he's never heard of the Orange Carpet, and probably doesn't care.

I think the team looks at this season as a new beginning, and that's why the big sweeping changes.  They want to put the last 10 years behind you as a fan and illustrate the new commitment to winning.  I get it.  Its the same thing the Marlins tried to do except (a) the Dolphins aren't getting a new stadium (but they ARE pushing for major renovations) and (b) the Marlins only used their rebirth as a 1-year facade before going back to their same old bullshit tricks that make them the league's laughing stock.

[MikeO]

http://www.dolphinstalk.com/2013/05/new-look-dolphins-mascot.html

Dolphins changed their mascot.

[Dave Gray]

Nice distracting product placement, Nike.  Ugh...this is getting worse all the time.  Though I never really liked TD....the name at least.

[MikeO]

Nice distracting product placement, Nike.  Ugh...this is getting worse all the time.  Though I never really liked TD....the name at least.

I know the helmet on the old mascot was a little screwed up, but this one is brutal! lol

[Dave Gray]

^ I agree.  I just couldn't put into words what's wrong with it.  It's like a motorcycle helmet made out of foam.  Awful, like all the other recent changes. 

I'm glad they didn't get the stadium upgrade.  These idiots would probably have the seats facing the wrong direction.

[Spider-Dan]

Apples and oranges comparison.  First off, I don't think everyone hated it.

Based on what I saw on this forum, this Dolphins change has gone off like cupcakes and roses compared to the hate that was spewed at the direction of the Marlins change.

Obviously, this is a Dolphins forum and there will be more talk of Dolphins changes.  But the Dolphins went from aqua/orange/blue to slightly different aqua/slightly different orange/dark aqua and it is as the apocalypse has come.

Can you imagine if this team became the Florida Dolphins and switched to yellow/orange/blue/black?  The forums would have went down from the traffic of furious posts.

But, the Marlins have no history or identity.  So, there's no visceral attachment to that logo that people have passed down.

The Marlins have the same number of championships as the Dolphins and came into existence right before the Dolphins switched their logo and color scheme to the prior set. 

And also, the Marlins weren't considered a joke of an organization.

[...]

The Dolphins, on the other hand, have been a joke of a franchise for a decade and we were shitty again last year.

How can you make the argument that the Marlins had no history or identity unlike the Dolphins, and then IMMEDIATELY say that the Marlins are not considered a joke while the Dolphins are?

[phinphan]

If "New Coke" can get canned after that marketing campaign then I'd think anything is pretty much vulnerable.

I took a business course after new coke was out and then we got classic coke back and according to my teacher new coke was a joke. It was done to switch between sugar and that garbage they sweeten sodas with now. They knew if they switched it outright people would have really complained but by doing it the way they did everyone was glad to get their classic coke back. Marketing for you........
PS I like coke over pepsi,

[Spider-Dan]

Yeah, that was my understanding, too:  they brought out New Coke, everyone hated it, then they switched to Coke Classic (but with HFCS instead of sugar) and everyone thanked them.

The equivalent would be if the Dolphins had went to something like the Marlins' color scheme, then 3 years later went to what we have now.  All this complaining about shades of aqua would be non-existent.

[Dave Gray]

The Marlins have the same number of championships as the Dolphins and came into existence right before the Dolphins switched their logo and color scheme to the prior set. 

This is true.  But I'm not equating winning titles to history.  The Marlins M.O. down here is that we win and then we get rid of everyone the next year.  There is no attachment to player history or anything like that.  The Dolphins have guys like Marino, Griese, Zach Thomas, Jason Taylor -- legends to the city.  The Marlins big name is Jeff Conine (not knocking the guy.  I like Conine. It's just that he's no Marino.) 

How can you make the argument that the Marlins had no history or identity unlike the Dolphins, and then IMMEDIATELY say that the Marlins are not considered a joke while the Dolphins are?

The Marlins have been successful.  That's what I meant by not a joke.  The Marlins, prior to the rebranding, seemed to be going in the right direction (it didn't work out for them, ultimately) with increased payroll, big name manager, etc.

The Dolphins have been floundering in various forms of P.R. hell for a decade between all the ownership, management, and coaching issues we've had.


And lastly, people just don't care about the Marlins like they do the Dolphins.  We didn't grow up with the Marlins, because they didn't exist yet.  This was solely a football town for most of my adult life.

[Brian Fein]

The Marlins M.O. down here is that we win and then we get rid of everyone the next year.  There is no attachment to player history or anything like that. 

This, in itself, makes the Marlins a joke.

[DenverFinFan]

Maybe my liking it is different because of my age. I'm 24 and have only been a fan since probably 97 maybe a year or two earlier but I don't have much memories of any uniforms other than the 97 ones. The 97 uniforms represent 16 years of failure or  mediocrity at best. How many playoff games have we won in that time? 2? a few more? 11-5 is the best record  I can remember and that happened twice. So I'm happy with a change.

Plus I still think the old logo looked like the sunkist tuna or whatever it is.

[phinphan]

Yeah, that was my understanding, too:  they brought out New Coke, everyone hated it, then they switched to Coke Classic (but with HFCS instead of sugar) and everyone thanked them.

The equivalent would be if the Dolphins had went to something like the Marlins' color scheme, then 3 years later went to what we have now.  All this complaining about shades of aqua would be non-existent.

What if you threaten to move the team make it look real then relent for the true Dolphin fans. Guess what Jersey's and caps will sell like hot cakes.

[CF DolFan]

Yeah, that was my understanding, too:  they brought out New Coke, everyone hated it, then they switched to Coke Classic (but with HFCS instead of sugar) and everyone thanked them.

The equivalent would be if the Dolphins had went to something like the Marlins' color scheme, then 3 years later went to what we have now.  All this complaining about shades of aqua would be non-existent.

I had never heard this so I looked it up. It wasn't a ploy as it was an actual change.  The change in formula had already happened before this switch in most places where it was produced and had nothing to do with the  New Coke concept. Consequently I think the Coke company president said something that is seemingly relevant to this case.

Finally the board of Coca-Cola changed their minds and decided to bring back the old Coke. Company president Donald Keough revealed years later in the 2002 documentary The People vs. Coke that they realized this was the only right thing to do when they visited a small restaurant in Monaco and the owner of the restaurant proudly said that they had "the real thing, it's a real Coke," offering them a bottle of old Coke

"There is a twist to this story which will please every humanist and will probably keep Harvard professors puzzled for years," said Keough at a press conference. "The simple fact is that all the time and money and skill poured into consumer research on the new Coca-Cola could not measure or reveal the deep and abiding emotional attachment to original Coca-Cola felt by so many people."